Much has been written and much more said about the epic battle between Ring Magazine and International Boxing Association featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao and former three-time world champion Erik ?El Terrible? Morales at the jam-packed MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada last March 19.
The anguish of millions of Filipinos over our hero?s defeat resulted in an avalanche of hate mail directed against Pacquiao?s promoter Murad Muhammad, business manager Rod Nazario and even this writer who dared to give Muhammad and Nazario their chance to be heard. All sorts of accusations were hurled, libelous statements made and on occasions racist remarks but none of this will hide the fact that for all his incredible courage and gallantry, Pacquiao was beaten fair and square by Morales, who proved he was certainly the better fighter that night.
The gloves, the late medical test, the alleged rip-off on the pay-per-view income, the unfortunate accidental head-butt were not the reasons for Pacquiao?s defeat. They served as a convenient excuse to hide the failures and shortcomings of trainer Freddie Roach and the new management team under Shelly Finkel although in fairness to Finkel he didn?t know Pacquiao long enough to appreciate his lifestyle, his habits and in some cases his kindness which, in the end, contributed to his undoing.
We were kept updated throughout by former Viva Sports host Jannelle So and others and we ourselves were in Los Angeles during the last week of training and witnessed almost everything up-close and personal. While we fervently hoped for a Pacquiao victory ? because our people needed it so badly to boost their spirits in a troubled time ? we sensed that what was going on around Pacquiao would painfully for all of us, end in defeat unless a minor miracle took place. But it was not to be.
While we concede that it?s easy to judge events on hindsight, we believe it is necessary to do so if Pacquiao is to benefit from lessons learned the hard way.
In fact, both Pacquiao and Roach have made initial admissions of their mistakes and have indicated they would correct them the next time around. That?s the best thing they have said ? and done ? so far. If, as Pacquiao claims, he was entitled to a share of the PPV income or that Muhammad had allegedly stolen from him and made more money than he was entitled to and Nazario and his son Roberto ?Boying? Nazario didn?t pay the proper taxes in years past, then by all means let Pacquiao go after them.
In fact, Pacquiao visited us at the Vagabond Inn (Nazario, Lito Mondejar, Moy Lainez, Gerry Garcia and myself) and told us why he signed with Finkel and what was promised him, Nazario and I told him to concentrate on the fight and get everything else out of his mind. Nazario also advised him to collect the $1.75 million purse he signed up for and then, if he wished to run after Muhammad and there was solid proof, we would all help him.
Many who were never in Los Angeles or Las Vegas and were not privy to what was going on and the true facts, have regrettably let their passions get the better of them. This has been fueled by a couple of individuals, trying desperately to earn the confidence of Pacquiao and to turn him against those who nurtured his career since he was a 16-year-old kid to become a world champion and a national treasure. In a series titled ?The Inside Story,? we will provide insights into the entire episode of Pacquiao vs Morales which we have also documented for a future television special so that the public may know the real score.
