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Bombs over Baguio: Pacquiao agent Michael Koncz denies TKO

 

Michael Koncz, center of extreme controversy in Manny Pacquiao’s circle and reportedly punched out by conditioning coach Alex Ariza in the Pinoy Idol’s Baguio hotel suite Thursday speaks to Examiner.com and to Boxingconfidential…

Finally, Michael Koncz is punching back.

I spoke at length with the native of Alberta, Canada, by telephone from Pacman’s quarters at the Cooyesan Hotel Friday evening (Filipino time) and, while he won’t concede that a furious Ariza clocked him with any punches, Koncz did answer any and all questions I posed.

I give Koncz full credit for, one, picking up the phone to speak to a guy (that’s me) who just ran an anonymous quote from somebody in Manny’s professional sphere who compares the agent to Adolph Hitler and, two, for not terming any inquiry to be off limits.

As much as possible, I want to restrict this report, in all fairness to the much maligned Koncz, to his answers without my usual knife twisting sarcasm and/or humor.

I've played Kick The Koncz long enough, now I'm giving him an open forum.

Mr. Koncz, please take the witness stand and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but so help you, Manny Pacquiao.

My first question was whether he lost the opening and final round to Ariza, at 35 much younger than the mid or late 40ish Koncz. Did the judges call it 10-8, Ariza?

 

DUST UP WITH ARIZA: “Oh, yeah, I’m in the hospital right now with 45 stitches. Look, I have no problems with Alex, I have no problems with Freddie (Roach). You can say there was an incident but I won’t say it. You can believe what Alex is telling you if you want to. Look, Freddie and I had a good discussion just today and we agree that training camp here in Baguio is going great. Both Freddie and I agreed. We both said we wish the fight against (Miguel) Cotto was next week because Manny is ready.”

 

WHY PACMAN RETAINS HIM: “If I am such a bad guy, then why does Manny keep me? He is my employer, not Bob Arum. Manny talks about all this (rumors, gossip, innuendo), Manny laughs about. He says he doesn’t read it or listen to it and that we shouldn’t. Manny is a smart guy. I know that if you show Manny respect and show him loyalty, he will return it 10 fold.”

 

ON CRITICISM OF HIS HANDLING OF BOXERS OTHER THAN PACMAN: “I run Manny Pacquiao Promotions but Manny is the boss. No boxer I have ever worked with has ever made any allegation about me. I’ve been able to work with Rodel Mayol and Bernabe Concepcion. I’ve been able to get them world title shots, Bernabe is getting a second world title chance and Rodel is getting his fourth. A lot of fighters only get one opportunity for a world title. There must be reason no boxer have publicly complained about me.”

 

ON HOW DISTRACTIONS DON’T FAZE PACMAN: “Politics, lawsuits, whatever, Manny is very unique in that he can multi-task and none of this affects him. I don’t know he does it but he does. I know that it would beyond me to do the same. As far as what the media writes or says about me, I don’t really care. This so called ‘incident,’ Manny is still laughing about it. “

 

ON HOW JOSE LUIS CASTILLO IS WORKING OUT AS SPARRING PARTNER:

“Castillo has gone seven rounds with Manny. Freddie is very happy with him. I know there was lot of hoopla on this I never bring in sparring partners without first consulting Manny and then with Freddie. Jose is getting older, we know that. We didn’t bring him over here to work eight to 10 rounds sparring each day. But, if he gives three or four good rounds, we’re happy. Freddie put Jose in the ring immediately with Manny. Freddie said, ‘Let’s see what he’s got. We know he’s not duplicative of Cotto, that he’s not as strong and as quick as Cotto but he is providing good rounds.”

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Manny Pacquiao agent Michael Koncz: No hate for Freddie Roach

 

 

Before I let Michael Koncz explain and vent a bit more, let me say that anyone who resorts to death threats and other stupid acts concerning Manny Pacquiao’s self-chosen right hand man is not a Pacman fan.

Anyone who does this, even anonymously on the Internet, is an idiot.

Settle down, class. We’re talking about boxing. We’re talking about an athlete.

I certainly don’t encourage let alone condone such mindless activity.

Koncz is a human being. He’s got children. To hear him tell it, he does what Boss Manny tells him to do.

“I don’t worry about that stuff,” Koncz told me Friday. “I only worry about getting old, being in a wheelchair and my kids having to take care of me. I don’t worry about other things.”

Here’s the second and final part of Agent Koncz unplugged.

Let me remind the witness he remains under the sacred Examiner.com and Boxingconfidential oath.

ON BEEFS WITH COACH ROACH: “No matter what you hear, there are no problems between Freddie and me. We had a good discussion earlier today. We agree this is Manny’s best training camp to date. Freddie, he’s Irish and we’ve had conflicts at times but it doesn’t mean we have to hate each other. My loyalty is to Manny. If Manny is happy, then I am happy. He’s my current employer. He pays me, no one else does. I have conflicts with (Bob) Arum at times also. I work only for Manny.”

ON RUMORS HE’S IRKED WIFE JINKEE: “Totally false. I totally respect Manny’s wife. I also handle some business affairs for her.”

ON ARIZA’S ASSERTION THAT HE PURPOSELY DID NOT RESERVE A ROOM AT MANNY’S HOTEL FOR COACH ROACH: “That is not true, either. Freddie was going to stay in a mansion that the governor over here was providing. We didn’t have the keys when Freddie arrived. Freddie went over to the Manor Lodge at Camp John Hay, a lovely resort that looks like it could be one in Colorado. It’s a super hotel. Bob Arum also stayed there when he came to Baguio.”

ON MANNY SHOOTING HOOPS: “This is Freddie’s rule. Freddie lets Manny play basketball up until four weeks before the fight. He played today (Friday) in the gym here and he will play Saturday but that’s it. He plays competitively, pickup games with his friends. It relaxes Manny but we know it’s a two-edged sword. We know he could get hurt doing it. But I can tell you right now Manny is very relaxed, very happy.”

ON THE BAGUIO OVER MEXICO TRAINING SITE DISPUTE: “Look, that was Manny’s decision. Freddie wanted Mexico. I went to Cancun and then Puerto Vallarta to check both places out. Manny sent Buboy (Fernandez) to Baguio. Manny didn’t want Mexico so we came to Baguio.”

ON HIS PRE TEAM PACQUIAO BACKGROUND: “I come from Alberta, a province in Canada. You ask too many questions. My personal life is not relevant.”

The witness, Agent 008 Michael Koncz, is now excused.

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Roach predicts KO victory by Pacquiao!!! by 8th or 9th RD

 

 

Three-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach here Friday predicted Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao will win his seventh title when he collides with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Miguel Cotto next month.

Pacquiao and Cotto will be testing each other’s mettle in a blockbuster title bout on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Manny has been doing excellent work in his training here. We are confident we could finish the fight early to prevent Cotto from getting his second wind.” Roach stressed.

In his latest sparring session late Thursday afternoon, the 30-year-old world champion floored undefeated superwelterweight contender Shawn Porter in the second round of their four-round blistering encounter with a solid left straight to the latter’s jaw.

After knocking down Porter, Pacquiao also virtually mauled two-time world lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico as he displayed awesome speed and power.

Pacquiao is on his fourth week of rigid training in this mountain resort city in preparation for the Cotto fight. Team Pacquiao will be breaking camp here on October 23 in order to catch the late evening flight for Los Angeles the following day where he will be entering the Wild Card gym on October 26 for the final stage of his training.

“Manny is nearing his peak form. We are now regulating his training regimen so that he could maintain his excellent performance in the ring until the fight. We already got our game going with the help of his supportive sparring partners,” Roach added.

While admitting that Typhoon Pepeng had a slight effect on the pound for pound king’s roadwork, Roach claimed they are now taking advantage of the good weather to get back lost time although the gym work is way ahead of schedule.

Earlier, Roach predicted Pacquiao will knock out Cotto in either the eighth or ninth round but said the champion’s performance in recent days shows that there will be an early knockout victory for his favorite ward.

Since Cotto is known to be able to get his second wind in the later part of his previous fights, the American trainer claimed Pacquiao will be working aggressively in the early rounds in order to catch the champion off balanced to be assured of a victory.

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WHY ARUM IS CONDITIONING US That MP-PBF WONT HAPPEN

 

 

Pacquiao's fight contract with Cotto has a clause of an immediate rematch if Pacquiao loses.

If Cotto loses then there wont be a rematch.

Arum will earn millions of dollars more with a Pacquiao-Cotto trilogy.

So Pacquiao has to lose first in November.

Thats why Arum at first wasnt concerned with Cotto risking his title to Pacquiao

not giving importance to the record-breaking record no. of titles Manny can get

with a new title belt.

Pacquiao-Mayweather is a 50-50 split pot money and Floyd insisting he gets the bigger cut

and Arum dont want more headaches in the negotiation for he is old.

Arum is all about money, you see.

Michael Konzc is his inside man inside Team Pacquiao.

And Judas Iscariot comes to mind.

Ever wondered why Bob Arum is releasing statements that Pacquiao-PBF wont happen?

Pacquiao-Cotto rematches is lot lot more money and an easier task for Bob to hatch.

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KONZC MISSION: Arum Wants MP To Lose For TRILOGY

 

 

Bob Arum will earn so much money with the Pacquiao vs Cotto match.

 

Arum and Manny wont earn much with the Mayweather fight for theyll just split the earnings.

 

Bob Arum may have assigned Konzc to create distractions and divisiveness within Team Pacquiao

to give Cotto a chance to win the fight and start a trilogy between the two.

 

So far, the plan is succeeding:

 

1. Konzc was able to convince Pacquiao to do his training in Baguio wherein Konzc can easily

do his 'mission' and manipulate things.

2. Konzc was able to convince Pacquiao to bring in Castillo as sparring partner to distract

Roach concentration in preparing Manny. Roach is kind enough not to make any negative

comments on Castillo's presence in camp so as not to further distract Manny.

3. Konzc is succeeding in further distracting Roach's concentration by making divisive

statements like "Roach is just a trainer" with the media.

4. Konzc is succeeding to distract too Manny's conditioning coach Alex Ariza by letting

him known that he suggested to Manny to fire him out.

 

What will be Konzc's next move?

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Pacman floors sparmate twice

 

 

Manny Pacquiao flooring Shawn Porter twice in sparring last Thursday doesn’t mean much for his chief trainer, Freddie Roach.

“Nothing,” said the three-time Trainer of the Year over the phone yesterday from Baguio City, right after another heavy, non-sparring day at the Shape Up Gym.

“It only means that he’s ready for the fight and that he’s doing very well,” Roach told The STAR, saying that Porter, the undefeated 21-year-old junior middleweight was floored twice by Pacquiao.

Roach said Pacquiao sparred four rounds with Porter, and caught the big and burly native of Ohio, a 2007 National Golden Gloves champion, with two powerful lefts in the third round of their skirmish.

“Yes, Shawn went down twice but he came back very well and caught Manny with a good hook. He came back very well,” said Roach, adding that Pacquiao also sparred four rounds with Jose Luis Castillo.

An Internet report said Castillo, the former WBC lightweight champion who came very close to beating Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2002, had blood on his nose after sparring with the hard-hitting Filipino.

As of Thursday, Pacquiao has logged a total of 46 rounds of sparring, and as the rounds increase to 10 and 12 over the next few days, he should have close to 150 rounds on the book before training ends.

Roach said Pacquiao has decided to cut short his stay in Baguio by a day. He said they should be in Manila on the evening of Thursday, instead of Friday, and train two days in a local gym before flying to Los Angeles on Saturday evening.

“It’s a little hectic coming down so we pushed the date a day ahead,” said Roach, referring to the terrible road conditions from Baguio all the way down to Manila due to the recent spate of typhoons to hit the country.

Pacquiao will hold sparring today against Porter and Castillo, who seemed to have impressed Roach with his style.

“I like his style because he likes to come in and tends to lean forward,” said Roach, close to saying that Castillo, who had two memorable fights with the late Diego Corrales, fights like Cotto.

A few days ago, there was a thread at Pacand, the highly popular Pacquiao website, saying that the Filipino pound-for-pound champion got knocked down in sparring.

But Nonoy Neri of Team Pacquiao was quick to brush it aside.

“Nothing like that. No knockdowns,” he said.

Not until Thursday, when Porter, not Pacquiao, hit the floor. Not once but twice.

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Pacquiao/Mayweather Superfight Depends on Pacquiao/Cotto PPV Numbers

 

 

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told Boxing Scene today that he thinks Mayweather should get the lion's share of the money in any eventual fight with the winner of the Manny Pacquiao/Miguel Cotto fight on November 14.

 

But he did add a caveat to that statement. If Pacquiao vs. Cotto does a million PPV buys or above, then he believes there is reason to consider a 50-50 split.

 

You know what? He's probably right about that, and the upshot is pure financial mathematics - Pac/Cotto does a million or higher, and we fight fans have a shot at seeing the Pacquiao/Mayweather superfight get made. Pac/Cotto falls short of a million buys, and it's never going to happen.

 

My sense is that Pac/Cotto not only needs to make a million buys, it needs to exceed that number. But not by too much. I would say, oh, maybe 1.2 million gets the job done nicely.

 

For the sake of discussion, I'm going to leave aside the possibility that Cotto beats Pacquiao and that we're talking about a Mayweather/Cotto fight on November 14th. The fact of the matter is that no matter what Pac/Cotto does at the box office, if Cotto wins and is in line to fight Mayweather next, it's a much easier negotiation. Cotto is going to get the short money, end of story.

 

Mayweather/Pacquaio is another kettle of moneyfish altogether. As it stands right now, both the Pacquiao and Mayweather camps say that they will not settle for a 50-50 split. Mayweather rests his argument on the fact that he did 2.4 mill against Oscar as opposed to the 1.25 mill that Pac did against Oscar, and he did 900K against Ricky Hatton versus the 850K that Pac did against Hatton. Add to that his recent take of a milly in the Marquez fight, and Money's argument for mo' money definitely seems strong.

 

Pacquaio's team argues that Pac is the ascendant star, a far bigger international celebrity, and the recognized pound-for-pound champion, a mantle that Floyd gave up with his retirement. Myself, I think right now that Floyd's argument is the better one for the bigger money, but I don't think it matters, because I don't see any way in which Pac's team gives an inch on this one, all arguments be damned.

 

The only chance that I think we have of a successful negotiation for Mayweather/Pacquiao is if both sides agree to equal money, and the only chance for that happening is if Pac/Cotto matches Mayweather/Marquez at the box office. These two bouts are an excellent barometer for where the two fighters at right now as PPV draws, leaving aside the x factors of Oscar, Hatton and the varying economic conditions in which their various fights have taken place. Marquez and Cotto are similar opponents, one the hero of Mexico, one the hero of Puerto Rico. I would say that Cotto is a little bigger star in the States but I think Marquez probably offsets that numbers-wise in that there are more Mexican fight fans buying PPV's in the U.S. than there are Puerto Ricans. You could say that there's still a slight advantage to the Pac/Cotto fight as a television draw because the May/Marquez fight was deemed such a mismatch by the boxing press. But I'm really starting to face the facts as far as the influence of the boxing press goes on PPV numbers - nobody pays any attention to us but diehard boxing fans, and they buy every frickin big PPV anyway.

 

I think if Pac/Cotto does a million buys, or even better, around 1.2 mill, it gives us at least a chance that Floyd will accept a 50-50 spilt. It's not a guarantee by any means, but at that point it would seem obvious to all involved that the two principals are neck and neck as PPV draws right now.

 

I have a sense that Pacquiao's side will be willing eventually to take 50-50. It's Floyd I'm worried about. Everything is a pissing contest with him, and to accept even money with Pac would be to accept him as an equal, period, something I don't think Floyd wants to do with anyone right now. He spent his whole career in the shadow of De La Hoya, and harbors great bitterness about that fact dating back to his tenure at Top Rank when Oscar was the Top Dog. Now Floyd feels like <i>he's</i> Oscar and can run the game accordingly. At that propitious moment, to acknowledge another fighter as being of his same stature just does not seem like something he's going to do.

 

Then again, by all accounts he's broke, and Mayweather/Pacquaio has the potential to match, if not exceed, De La Hoya/Mayweather money. Hell, people have speculated that a Pac/Money fight could do three million buys. So if Pac proves that he can really bring it by equalling or surpassing the Floyd/Marquez numbers, the pressure for the fight is going to be so great (assuming Pac beats Cotto, of course) and the argument is going to be so strong for a 50-50 split that I wonder if Floyd won't accept it. He could accept it and still save face by saying somethingl ike this: "All right, clearly I have to beat down this pretender just to prove it to you all again what time it is, so I'm gonna do it, but after I whup this fool… that's it. After that, you wanna fight me, you get 20 percent max, and that's if you're HUGE and I happen to like you."

 

Pac/Cotto does 800K, though, and the jig is up. Floyd will never budge on 60-40 at that point, and while I do think Pac's team would give in to 50-50 evenutally, I can't ever see Arum giving Floyd 60-40 to fight Pacquiao even if Floyd was holding all the cards.

 

Of course, there is another possibility to consider. My observation has been that the buzz for Pac/Cotto is already immense. Maybe my viewpoint is skewed, because I mostly converse with the hardcore fans, and there's no question that those folks are much more amped for Pac/Cotto than they were for May/Marquez.

 

That said, what if Pac/Cotto does 1.5 mill? Or 1.7? Then… then we got problems, people.

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Guys, comments nyo:

 

Pacquiao’s weakness exposed

 

October 18, 2009, 4:11pm

 

Joe Chavez, who once worked for Manny Pacquiao as a cutman, said he holds the key to the victory of Miguel Cotto over the Filipino pound-for-pound king when they clash on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.

 

While Chavez has a different role inside Team Cotto with Joe Santiago as head trainer, the seasoned cornerman has immersed himself so much in Pacquiao’s corner that he claims that he knows some of Pacquiao’s innermost secrets.

 

“When attacked, he (Pacquiao) doesn’t know what to do,” Chavez told the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia over the weekend.

 

Before the Argentine-born Miguel Diaz was recruited by Team Pacquiao, Chavez had been a familiar fixture in the corner manned by Freddie Roach, having aided Pacquiao in his bloody brawl with Juan Manuel Marquez and a few of other fights.

 

“I have other work here (in Team Cotto), but if they ask me, I can help and do my comments and I know Pacquiao very well,” said Chavez.

 

Aside from Team Cotto’s observation that Pacquiao doesn’t do well when he is the one being pursued, Chavez believes that Cotto’s natural advantage in size will eventually prove to be Pacquiao’s downfall.

 

“Cotto is (like) a bull. Pacquiao is fast, but Cotto has more power in the punch and is strong. This will be the difference. Pacquiao has never fought as strong as Cotto," said Chavez.

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Shaq wants to lead Pacman to ring for bout

By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) Updated October 19, 2009 12:00 AM

 

Photo is loading...

Shaquille O’Neal

 

MANILA, Philippines - Shaquille O’Neal leading Manny Pacquiao up to the ring against Miguel Cotto?

 

Well, to Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, it sounds a good idea.

 

The hottest trainer in boxing today said the bulging NBA superstar had thought of leading Pacquiao to the ring although Roach said he has yet to take it up with Pacquiao seriously – barely four weeks the fight set at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

 

Roach said that awhile back, during the NBA break, he had the chance to give the 7-1 O’Neal, who wears size 23” shoes, some boxing lessons in Los Angeles, and the former Laker superstar brought up the idea and offered himself for the role.

 

“He sounded like he really wanted to do it,” said Roach, not forgetting that a couple of wrestling superstars have led Pacquiao up the ring in his previous fights.

 

Former World Wrestling Entertainment champion “The Undertaker” was the first to play the role when he led Pacquiao in his march up the ring for his fight with Hector Velasquez at the Staples Center in 2005. And for the Ricky Hatton fight last May, it was Dave Batista, with Filipino blood, leading Pacquiao to the ring.

 

So, why not O’Neal?

 

Roach said the NBA player who weighs over 300 lb is such a fun guy to be with.

 

“I saw his shoes in the gym and I wanted to keep them as souvenir so I tried to steal them. But they wouldn’t fit in my gym bag so I had to leave them behind,” said Roach, who recalled the incident with a smile.

 

O’Neal learned about it, and the next thing Roach knew was that the future NBA Hall-of-Famer had sent him a pair.

 

“They were so huge they looked like a kid’s toy truck,” said Roach of the giant fellow.

 

“In the gym, I had to put vaseline on his face and I had to use a stool to do that,” said the American trainer, almost laughing.

 

He really has nothing against the idea of O’Neal being up there on the ring with Pacquiao.

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Sana manalo parin si Manny. parang marami nanaman masaya kahit binaha.. hehehe

 

 

Tama ka diyan and besides Pinoy siya at pinaghirapan niya ang lahat lahat, mga kinita niya, hindi kagaya ng mga K....and S..... By the way, mas maganda si Undertaker (professional wrestler) na sumama sa kanya mid 2000s sa isang laban niya na kunin ulit niya para mailibing na si Cotto (kung ma knockout) after the match OR si Gayweather (tila mas maganda ata yung scenario na yun kay Gayweather kasama na ilibing yung tatay niya)

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Tama ka diyan and besides Pinoy siya at pinaghirapan niya ang lahat lahat, mga kinita niya, hindi kagaya ng mga K....and S..... By the way, mas maganda si Undertaker (professional wrestler) na sumama sa kanya mid 2000s sa isang laban niya na kunin ulit niya para mailibing na si Cotto (kung ma knockout) after the match OR si Gayweather (tila mas maganda ata yung scenario na yun kay Gayweather kasama na ilibing yung tatay niya)

di ba sumama sa kanya si Batista noong isang beses? o baka sa susunod. ewan ko.

 

Pacquiao for president.

Edited by Palakol
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