It has come to my attention that Mr. Nicholas Giongco has found himself in quite a dilemma in recent times. This scribe from the Manila Bulletin, has apparently drawn the ire from the pride of the Philippines, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. According to the Philippine Daily Enquirer it seems as though the power punching prize fighter has filed a libel lawsuit against Giongco stating that he crossed the line by reporting that Manny is a compulsive gambler who likes to bet on everything from billiards, to cock-fighting, and the obvious casinos. My question is this… Where is the line drawn in terms of the paparazzi-type coverage of a professional athlete and more specifically boxers?
When a fighter lights up the crack pipe or drops thousands of dollars at the craps tables, is it our business to go into detail about the matter? (this coming from a hack who wrote a short blurb on Winky Wright’s potential issue with the game of chance)
I guess it’s a tough question to answer based on the fact that not everything can be based on strictly boxing based articles. I suppose that it can get somewhat redundant to keep it above the belt line at all times so going the “Foul Pole” route can keep it spicy here and there. Unfortunately for Mr. Giongco he went a bit overboard on the habanero sauce and is now facing some serious charges at this very moment.
It seems as though this is a clear warning to boxing scribes everywhere that anything published whether it be on paper or online can and will be used against you in the court of law. So the next time a fighter passes gas, binge eats at the buffet, or might be involved in illicit conduct of any manner, it might be best to look the other way… or just give Michael Marley the news and he’ll put it up right here at Boxingconfidential.com.
