Pacquiao camp says time’s up on Top Rank deal

According to a report from PhilStar.com, Manny Pacquiao’s lawyer Eldibrando Viernesto is contending that his client’s promotional deal with Top Rank has expired, leaving Pacquiao free and clear to make his own moves.

Pacquiao recently rejected a fight against Mike Alvarado that Top Rank had set up for him and looks to be trying to set up his own fight against Lucas Matthysse under his banner, MP Promotions, alongside Golden Boy Promotions who handles Matthysse.

“I reviewed the contract and I found out that Bob Arum has no more say even in the rematch, should there be any, between Manny Pacquiao and Australian boxer Jeff Horn,” Viernesto said.

Philboxing writer Aquiles Zonio also accused Top Rank of torpedoing a couple of fights Pacquiao tried to set up outside of the U.S. in recent years.

“In two separate occasions, Arum called up Pacquiao’s financiers threatening to file a lawsuit if Top Rank is not included in the promotion. They cowed in fear resulting to the scrapping of the fight.”

One of those fights would be the one against Amir Khan that Pacquiao said he was negotiating last year, with Arum later acknowledging Pacquaio was receiving big-money offers in Dubai. And with Top Rank now being accused of attempting to scuttle a Malaysian deal to fight Matthysse, Pacquiao is said to be determined to push that deal through on his own accord.