Oscar De La Hoya met Manny Pacquiao in Los Angeles with a suitcase full of cash and gave it to Pacquiao to induce the boxer to sign with Golden Boy Promotions, trainer Freddie Roach said in a deposition in a lawsuit regarding Pacquiao’s promotional rights.
Roach is a central figure in legal wrangling between Golden Boy and Top Rank, which believes the popular trainer attempted to steer Pacquiao to Golden Boy.
Roach, named the 2006 Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America after leading Pacquiao to two wins over Erik Morales, has a close relationship with the power-punching Filipino, whom he has trained for nearly six years.
Golden Boy announced in September it had signed Pacquiao to a lucrative promotional deal. But Top Rank, which was promoting a Nov. 18 rubber match between Morales and Pacquiao, insisted Pacquiao was not free to sign with Golden Boy, and litigation followed.
In response to intense questioning by Top Rank attorney Daniel Petrocelli, Roach denied trying to steer Pacquiao to Golden Boy but said he gave advice to Pacquiao when asked.
Roach said in the deposition that when Pacquiao arrived in Los Angeles after a more than 15-hour flight from the Philippines, De La Hoya was waiting for him in a limousine at Los Angeles International Airport. The meeting was alleged to have occurred in late August or early September 2006.
Roach testified that Pacquiao is a fan of De La Hoya and that he facilitated a meeting between the two at the request of one of Pacquiao’s managers.
Roach said when Pacquiao stepped into the limo to meet De La Hoya, he produced a promotional contract, then showed him a suitcase with a large amount of cash.
“I was told later on that it was $250,000 in cash, but I never counted it,” Roach said in the deposition, taken Feb. 13 in Los Angeles.
Roach was hired by De La Hoya last month to train him for his May 5 super welterweight title fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Following a De La Hoya-Mayweather news conference at the MGM Grand on Tuesday, Roach stood by his story.
He said despite his position with De La Hoya, he believes it is important to tell the truth.
“I never saw the suitcase open, but (De La Hoya) told me it was Manny’s signing bonus, and I later heard it was $250,000, but I’m not sure of the amount,” said Roach, who in his deposition described the bag as a small suitcase.
After the news conference, De La Hoya denied giving a suitcase full of money to Pacquiao, though he didn’t deny it occurred.
“I’m sure somebody had a suitcase, but I didn’t have a suitcase,” De La Hoya said. “Pacquiao questions, I’m not going to answer. It’s obviously in litigation, and it’s up to my lawyers to answer that.”
Roach said in the deposition Pacquiao told him he had wanted a $1 million signing bonus from Golden Boy. Roach testified that when Pacquiao told him he was being offered a $500,000 bonus, he told the fighter it was a good deal.
“I told him it’s a pretty good signing bonus,” Roach said in the deposition. “I said, ‘You know, the thing is, you’ve got a lot of big fights with them ’cause they have a lot of good opponents for you.’ And I think it was a good deal. …”
