A GOLD Coast private security firm landed the lucrative job as Manny Pacquiao?s bodyguards ? but one place they couldn?t protect him was in the ring.
Panoptic Solutions, headquartered in Surfers Paradise, has had up to eight highly-trained bodyguards on watch over the boxing star and Filipino senator 24-7 during his Queensland stay, the Bulletin can reveal.
Panoptic?s ex-miliary and law enforcement team members, who charge up to $2000 daily, were seen ringside at Brisbane?s Suncorp Stadium yesterday as Pacquiao was upset on points in a 12-round slugfest with Brisbane schoolteacher Jeff Horn. Boxer Manny Pacquiao training at the Botanic Gardens in Brisbane City earlier this week ? Troy Claydon, the founder of Gold Coast private security firm Panoptic Solutions, is on the right with the bike helmet. Mr Claydon and his Panoptic team members have been shadowing Pacquiao and his entourage 24-7 while in Queensland. Pics Tara Croser.
The loss paved the way for a repeat contract for Panoptic with Pacquiao vowing to return to Queensland for a rematch last this year.
Panoptic ringside staff included Gold Coast-based founder and ex-Australian Defence Force member Troy Claydon who has been photographed at Pacquiao?s side in the past week.
Mr Claydon declined to talk about the security operation yesterday when contacted.
?I wouldn?t go into any actual detail. We just don?t comment,? he said.
But security sources familiar with it say a team of five to eight would have been guarding Pacquaio round the clock from his arrival in Australia to departure. Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines is struck by Jeff Horn of Australia (left) during the WBO World Welterweight Title fight at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane yesterday ? it was the one place Gold Coast private security team Panoptic Solutions could not protect the Filipino boxing star. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Pacquiao arrived with a 200-strong entourage via a privately chartered Boeing 757 over a week ago and the security contract would have been worth tens of thousands, a source said.
It would be very good for the firm?s CV and reputation even though it might not boast about it publicly, the source said.
?That sort of industry tends to get referrals by word of mouth. It would be a pretty prestigious contract ? they?d be looking after and arranging his security 24-7 from arrival to departure.?
Pacquiao was considered to have a reasonable ?risk profile? given kidnapping threats last year against him and his family by Filipino militants.
Mr Claydon ? who has worked in Iraq as a private security contractor ? told the Bulletin in an interview last year his Panoptic staff were charged out at $1000 to $2000 daily depending on the job. Troy Claydon and Simon Taylor, of Panoptic Solutions, which has a daily private security charge out rate of up to $2000 a day. It?s staff are all ex military or law enforcement members with high-level paramedic training. Photo: Regi Varghese
At the time, Mr Claydon also said his team offered a point of difference with members having high-level paramedic training and backgrounds on top of military or police experience.
Their paramedic training would have come in handy yesterday from the middle of the bout when Pacquiao was bleeding profusely from cuts to either side of his head.
Panoptic is known for looking after high-profile clients in Australia and overseas, including Microsoft executives, television personalities, Department of Defence staff. They were also on deck guarding big names at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
