Arum plans to 'clear the air' with Pacquiao brain tests

Nick Giongco

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is so intrigued and bothered by an observation made by a Filipino doctor on Manny Pacquiao that he will strongly recommend that his No. 1 fighter undergo a battery of tests at the Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas, said to be the leading center for brain-related injuries.

Arum had actually broached the idea of bringing Pacquiao to that renowned brain center days after suffering a brutal knockout to Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8 but reiterated this amid the observations – twitching of hands – made by neurologist Rustico Jimenez.

Jimenez said Pacquiao could be showing the early symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, the degenerative brain malady that claims Muhammad Ali and Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach as two notable victims.

“This should clear the air,” Arum told the Bulletin yesterday afternoon from his vacation spot in Cape Town in South Africa, although sounding disappointed that Jimenez would come up with such statements even if he didn’t check up on Pacquiao.

Still, Arum said it would be better for Pacquiao to seek the advice of the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic, which costs $100 million to put up, owing to its solid reputation.

Jimenez actually didn’t have the chance to examine the 34-year-old Pacquiao, saying he based his diagnosis on what he had seen on television, noting that the boxer has exhibited shaking movements during interview clips.

Immediately after the Marquez fight, Pacquiao was brought to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas for a routine CT Scan and was released after tests turned out to be negative.

Upon his arrival in Manila five days after the fight, Pacquiao underwent an MRI of the brain and was given a clean bill of health by doctors at the high-end Cardinal Santos in San Juan.

Article courtesy of Nick Giongco of the Manila Bulletin