THE furor over how and why our own Manny Pacquiao was beaten despite being the pre-fight favorite, should have subsided by now. The Filipino champion is back and is meditating perhaps on how to make another splash in the world of boxing.
Perhaps dreaming of a rematch with his erstwhile conqueror Erik Morales. Or previous opponents Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera. Right now, he he is spending quality time with his wife, Jinkee and their kids Jemuel and Michael in General Santos City.
Not that he is bothered about his loss. His purse after the fight, less Nevada state taxes and payments to his Team Pacquiao something like $612,500 (P33.75 million). He is now on easy street.
Fight fans don’t give a damn whether he sues international promoter Murad Muhammad for allegedly failing to turn over to him $2.8 million representing 40 percent of revenues from pay-per-view television, which Murad refuses to give him. Didn’t someone say a long time ago that nobody remembers second place?
DIRTY LINEN. But now those who were closely associated with him during his recent close encounter with Erik Morales are displaying their dirty linen in public. I refer to Muhammad and Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach. They are now sniping at each other, blaming the other for PacMan’s loss.
An earlier story on ABS-CBN television said that Pacquiao has decided to break away from Muhammad for the latter’s failure to follow contract stipulations. The Filipino boxer pointed out that a boxing promoter should not earn bigger than the boxer himself.
The Las Vegas showdown reportedly grossed $15.75 million. But the share of Muhammad from the pay-per-view sales is something like 40 percent upside or $2.8 million. For the first time, Muhammad accused Roach and the new management team headed by Shelly Finkel of “playing dirty” and grabbing at straws “trying to discredit me.”
He claimed that Pacquiao was not trained properly for the fight. (Just what former world junior lightweight titlist Rene Barrientos confirmed in our recent interview. SSC 3/27/003).
FAILURES. In a story by Ronnie Natahanielsz of Manila Standard Sports who covered the fight in Las Vegas, Muhammad cited what he called a “litany of failures” of Roach, including some 20 new-found hangers-on and the hundreds who flocked to Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. They took away Pacquiao’s focus and regrettably disrupted his training and his concentration. It was a wrong strategy for Roach to let Pacquiao spar 160 rounds, often against heavier opponents.
Despite fighting the big guys and knocking them down, Muhammad opined that Pacquiao “left his fight at the gym. He said that these are smokescreens to hide the failures of Roach. Even the gloves used during the 12-round bout didn’t make a difference, quoting former WBA light-heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr.
The more expensive “Winning” gloves from Japan were used instead of the Mexican-made “Cleto Reyes” brand which the Filipino preferred. Despite the better-padded Winning gloves, Pacquiao’s left hand was swollen even a day after the fight last March 20.
TERRIBLE CUT. Muhammad added that it is quite possible that if the Cleto Reyes gloves were used, Pacquiao might have been knocked out. “Only the courageous heart of Pacquiao helped him through,” Muhammad said.
Even the cornermen of Pacquiao were not spared from Muhammad’s outburst. He called it the “worst ever.” He had wanted renowned cut-man Lenny de Jesus to work on the nasty cut suffered by Pacquiao in the fifth round due to an accidental head butt. It was instead given to the Filipino trainer, Restituto “Buboy” Hernandez. He described it as a “terrible cut.”
Roach and Finkel, the Manila Standard continued, quoting Muhammad, had wanted de Jesus replaced by a cheap cut-man from the camp of Barrera who charges only $1,000 (P55,000).
For his part, Roach replied that there was a lot of noise during the fight and it was difficult for Pacquiao to listen with all loudly speaking and these guys with no knowledge about Manny screaming instructions.
“All these guys trying to do my job,” Roach said.
All that is now water under the bridge. Will Pacquiao be able to pick himself up from that debacle and replace Flash Elorde as this generation’s greatest Filipino fighter, as some people hinted?
Replace Elorde? You gotta be kidding!
QUOTE OF THE DAY: ”Murad may have made more money than Manny for what, he didn’t, risk his life. That’s horrible. The guy makes Don King look like a saint.” – Freddie Roach
