NEW YORK –Don King told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Go back and read that line again because it may be historic. But King did speak “the emmis” when he issued a press release stating that he never contacted boxing’s hottest attraction, Manny Pacquiao, about the Pacman becoming a Kingman.
What’s the catch? That someone did contact Team Pacman on King’s behalf before anyone knew that Manny had inked promotional deals with both Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank Inc. The someone was King’s Buffalo-based “stealth agent” and the man who delivered world champ Juan Diaz to DKP when GBP thought they had Diaz locked down.
It was the controversial Rick Glaser. But Glaser swears on a stack of Ring magazines (no Bibles were available) that he reached out to Pacman trainer/de facto manager/adviser on all subjects Freddie Roach without King’s knowledge.
“I called Freddie and told him I could get them an offer from Don,” Glaser said. “Freddie took down my phone number and it never went any further. Later, I called Freddie and asked him why he did not tell me the real situation. He said he couldn’t because Manny had done deals with both Golden Boy and Top Rank but that he was not allowed to reveal that.”
Glaser apprised King of the legal mess and King told him to drop the matter.
“We don’t need all that aggravation,” King told his emissary.
One point that has been continually glossed over is why neither Pacman nor Roach ever told manager Shelly Finkel about the proposed contracts BEFORE Pacman took out his overactive pen to sign them.
Managers have certain contractual rights just like boxers and promoters do.
I predict the warring parties will make an out-of-court settlement just after Pacquiao clarifies Finkel’s situation.
If Roach stuck to training and let Finkel do the managing, maybe all this would not have happened. But I know Roach and I doubt he did anything maliciously.
Pacman has some serious decisions to make in the New Year. Here’s hoping he makes them wisely. Boxing needs Pacman more than Manny needs boxing going into 2007.
