MANNY Pacquiao wants to save his disintegrating partnership with his longtime Filipino business manager after all.
The Filipino ring idol and former world champion said he will not antagonize business manager Rod Nazario further with a statement even after the latter had criticized his decisions Wednesday and virtually gave him an ultimatum to ditch the “foreigners” he had hired to plot his career.
“No comment muna ako,” said Pacquiao yesterday during the official launch of a television commercial where he endorses a new product. “Baka magkamali na naman ako (I might end up saying the wrong things again).
“Pero mag-uusap kami (But we will surely talk).”
Nazario had said he would opt out of Pacquiao’s team if the slugger from General Santos City insists on working with a new group that includes noted American trainer Freddie Roach.
Shelley Finkel acted as Pacquiao’s new manager in his last fight, a unanimous decision loss to Mexican legend Erik Morales in Print this story Send this story Write the editor View other stories
Las Vegas, where the trouble between the fighter and Nazario started to brew.
Nazario, one of those responsible for the Filipino’s rise to prominence in the US, said that “Pacquiao’s mind was poisoned by the new group,” and that affected the fighter he has guided for close to 11 years.
The new group, Nazario said, “distracted” Pacquiao a few days before his fight with Morales by informing him of supposed back taxes to the United States government for his previous six fights.
This group had supposedly told Pacquiao that he would not be able to claim his $1.75-million purse for fighting Morales if he fails to settle his obligations with the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Nazario, who stayed behind in the US after the Morales fight, said that those taxes, amounting to about $190,000, had been settled. He showed mediamen on Wednesday during a press conference photocopies of receipts and checks that represented tax payment.
Ironically, it was Nazario who picked Roach to train Pacquiao for his US debut, a title-winning performance against Lehlo Ledwaba for the IBF junior featherweight crown in Las Vegas four years ago where Pacquiao earned $40,000.
Pacquiao, who was presented by Surf as its new endorser, flew in from a short trip from the US and admitted having talked to Nazario in San Francisco.
“Galing ako doon at nag-usap na kami (I’ve talked to him),” Pacquiao said.
“Pero ayaw pa akong pagsalitain ng mga abugado ko (But my lawyers don’t want me to talk about it).”
