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Manny Pacquiao faces Wednesday deadline to fight Ricky Hatton

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I just got off the phone with boxing promoter Bob Arum, who said his star fighter Manny Pacquiao has until tomorrow to stop pushing for a 60-40 revenue split in his tentatively scheduled May 2 fight with Ricky Hatton, or ‘the fight’s not happening.’

‘There’s no way he’s getting the 60-40,’ Arum said. ‘Unless he comes to his senses and his people start acting intelligently ... we’ll see if we can keep it together, but the split is supposed to be 50-50. We’ve all agreed to it. Now, people are whispering in Pacquiao’s ear. If they keep pushing for 60-40, Hatton and [his promoter Richard] Schaefer are pulling the plug.’

Arum said Hatton and Schaefer would ‘be in the right’ for pulling out of a 140-pound showdown in Las Vegas that would match the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter (Pacquiao) against a popular fighter who’s never lost at 140 (Hatton).

Although Arum declined to name those who are threatening to scratch the bout, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported Pacquiao attorney Franklin Gacal told a reporter in the Philippines that he would ‘not agree to a 50-50 sharing,’ and would move to ‘ find another opponent’ if his request is not met.

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Hatton’s people said they expect the oral agreement of a 50-50 split to remain unchanged.

We’ll continue following this story at latimes.com/sports.

-- Lance Pugmire

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