MANILA, Philippines?Backing down from threats of a courtroom brawl, ABS-CBN said on Sunday it ?will not stand in the way? of Filipino ring superstar Manny Pacquiao?s renewing his ties with Solar Sports.
?Pacquiao approached ABS-CBN to be his media partner in airing his next fights,? ABS-CBN said in a statement, released by corporate communications head Bong Osorio, Sunday.
?We thank him for trusting us. He signed a contract with us, but we will not stand in the way if he decides to change his mind. We respect it, wish him good luck and we wait to hear from him.?
The world?s pound-for-pound king decided to honor on Saturday his previous deal with Solar Sports to air his May 2 fight against Ricky Hatton on GMA 7, ABS-CBN?s network rival.
Solar Sports, which owns the ?exclusive rights to the audio-visual presentation? of Pacquiao?s fights until 2011, earlier signed a block-time agreement with GMA 7 to telecast the much-awaited Las Vegas bout.
ABS-CBN reported on its website Sunday that Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal believed that ?there is a possibility? Pacquiao will meet with ABS-CBN vice president for sports Peter Musngi in Los Angeles.
?We?re 100 percent sure, at least legally, that nothing more can be done,? said Jude Turcuato, Solar Sports? VP for sales and marketing.
ABS-CBN initially said it was ready to protect the interests of Pacquiao as Solar Sports prepared a P150-million court suit against it.
?Manny approached ABS-CBN and as its client, he will have the network?s all-out support,? Osorio said.
?Of course in this business, you should never be surprised,? said Turcuato. ?But legally there shouldn?t be any chance [for ABS-CBN to reclaim the rights to air the fight].?
ABS-CBN already aired TV spots that ?Pac is Back? before Pacquiao announced, through a statement read by Gacal on GMA 7 Saturday night, that his contract with Solar Sports remained ?valid and binding.?
