Upon just recently learning that your education level is that of a second or third grader, I now understand how your “new management team” was able to manipulate you into the financial disaster that you know find yourself in. This letter is not intended to ridicule you, but rather to educate you. When first we met briefly three years ago, I recall being so impressed with your humbleness and the God-fearing beliefs which I believed you stood for. It is those qualities which made those around you want to contribute to your success, but now the question is, what has your “new team” contributed to the enrichment of Manny Pacquiao? I know about “the promises”, but Manny, that’s all they are is “empty promises”. Please believe me when I say I am not being sarcastic when I ask, can you read, or are others just telling you what they think you want to hear to cover up their own failures?
Your new team has taken you down a path that “NO FIGHTER” should ever want to go. That path has lead you straight to the courtroom and you are the only person who will lose. Those around you would have you believe that you are going to sue Murad Muhammad and in a few days, weeks, months, things will be just fine and you’ll be fighting again for someone else making millions of dollars. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Just ask Heavyweight boxer “David Tua”. Unhappy with his management and promoters, David decided that he was going to sue to get out his contract. He goes out and hires some guy by the name of Burstein and what did David end up with? DAVID TUA, AT THE PEAK OF HIS CAREER, DID NOT FIGHT FOR TWO YEARS!! David just fought his comeback bout on March 25th and the judge in his case ordered that 80% of Tua’s purse be put into an escrow fund until he can work out his career problems! Is that the road you want to go down Manny? At the peak of your career, you want to put it all on hold for a fictitious lawsuit against Murad Muhammad?
These are the facts of the case, you don’t have one. Mark Taffet of HBO issued a statement several weeks ago in which he adamantly supported Murad Muhammad. Taffet stated that everything pertaining to the March 19 event was legal and legitimate. Bob Arum of Top Rank has also confirmed the same thing. Murad Muhammad did not take one dime from you. It is impossible, since the Event was promoted by Top Rank and everyone was paid what their contracts called for. Are you prepared to take HBO, Top Rank and the United States Internal Revenue Service to court also, because that is exactly what you are going to have to do? You are going to have to call into question the entire March 19 promotion and I suggest you know VERY well what you are talking about when you accuse Murad Muahmmad in open court of stealing PPV money from you, when you and those around you know very well, there was no deal for the PPV! These “new people” are helping you to commit “career suicide’! Do you really think you will ever fight on HBO again once they are dragged into court? Bob Arum of Top Rank has recently stated that he will not even consider matching you with anyone of his guys until you work out “your issues”. Are you not hearing or reading these things? Both you and I know that before you signed with Murad Muhammad, you had never made over $5,000US and that was just what, two years ago? Contrary to the information you are being fed, the truth of the matter is, it is Rod Nazario and Murad Muhammad who put you in the spotlight you enjoy so much and now you have plunged the proverbial knife in their backs? With Nazario and Muhammad, you went from virtual obscurity to boxing stardom and in America we have a saying, “you don’t leave the person who took you to the dance”. Yes, it is your talent and boxing ability that have carried you also, but do you know how many talented boxers there are in the world just waiting for their shot, their chance for someone like Muhammad or Nazario to see them and get them to the “SHOW”? Both of these men took a chance on you, how can you turn on them now? Why is it so difficult for you to pick up a phone and talk to these two men who were there for you when no American promoter wanted anything to do with you because of your two knockout losses? You were able to talk to them then, why can’t you talk to them now? Before all of this foolishness that your “new team” is putting in your head, if you had concerns, you discussed it with your manager and your promoter and it was resolved. Why now do you need to pay an attorney $100,000 to say to Murad Muhammad that which you could say from the beginning, which cost you nothing?
There was NO DEAL for the PPV.No deal for you nor Erik Morales, who was the star of the event with 10 successful PPV outings under his belt. This whole PPV fallacy is nothing more than a smokescreen created by Roach and Finkel to hide their own malicious, thieving deeds. Please think about this Manny, what did this “new team” do to earn 25% of your $1.75 million dollar purse on March 19? In America, in the sport of boxing, a “manager” comes into play when a fighter is just beginning his career. The “manager” financially invests in the fighter by giving him a monthly financial allowance, paying his living expenses, as well as paying the fighters’ training expenses. The “manager” always invests in the fighter. The “manager” is also responsible for making the best financial deal for the fighter. So now that I’ve told you exactly what a manager does, how much of a signing bonus did Shelly Finkel give you to be entitled to 25 % or any percentage for that fact, of your $1.75 million dollar purse? The “manager” is supposed to take care of all the fighters’ expenses, so why did YOU pay for the hotel rooms, meals,rental cars and airline tickets, not only for Roach and Finkel, but also their families and friends? Why Manny, are you paying these people anything? When Shelly Finkel came on the scene, Murad Muhammad and Bob Arum had already completed “ALL THE BUSINESS” to make the Morales-Pacquiao bout a successful event. The fight was already signed and done , so I ask you again, why did Shelly Finkel deserve 25% of your purse and why are you paying for everything? Shelly Finkel is a millionaire many times over, so why did he have to take money from you which he did absolutely nothing to earn? If a manager goes out and gets a fighter a bout, secures the bout and puts on the event, then by all means, he should be paid, but what Shelly Finkel did to you is a CRIME. Think about it, this man got you to sign a contract giving him 25% of your earnings on a fight which he had absolutely nothing to do with!! And did he collect, he sure did! But what about the old manager, Rod Nazario, whose percentage was on 10% and to this date, he still has not gotten paid? Is this the thanks Rod Nazario deserves for coming to America and finding you a promoter who got you paid more money than you ever dreamed of?
Since the “Finkel Dream Team” came onto the scene, all you have done is spend unnecessary money on an entourage of attorneys, accountants, conditioning coaches and anyone else they want you spend money on, and yet you wonder where the money went? And now here went another $100,000 to this infamous attorney. Fighters do not often understand the “Business of Boxing” and they are sometimes taken in and misguided by unscrupulous, money hungry individuals who tell them stories like, “give me $100,00, I’ll sue the promoter and get you $30 million”, knowing all the time, that is a BLATANT LIE. Lawsuits cost money and they are time consuming. Everyone involved in the March 19 Event will have to be subpoenaed. So once again, who will be paying for your litigation?
The thing that truly amazes me though, is that while all of the accusations and lies have been plastered all over the media, it appears that no one prepared you for the fact that Murad Muhammad/M & M Sports was going to enforce his exclusive contract with you, as by all rights, he should! No one prepared you for the $50 million lawsuit Muhammad filed! Did anyone think that after investing three years of his time, his best efforts and his money in you that he was just going to be slandered away? I’ve often compared Muhammad to the peaceful lion, disturb him and there will be hell to pay. We have known Murad Muhammad for over 25 years and in those 25 years, I have never known him to pursue a boxer, cheat a boxer and the fact that he is licensed to promote fights in two of the most influential and strictly regulated states in America, Nevada and New Jersey, well, that speaks for itself. I know for a fact that Muhammad will spend whatever monies necessary to clear his good name. I believe this fight will be tougher than any opponent you’ve faced in the boxing ring. While Freddie Roach is strutting about town telling whoever will listen that it was he that negotiated the Morales-Pacquiao bout, there is a law here in America which applies to boxing contracts. When a fighter is under a contract with a promoter or a manager, no outside force can come in to negotiate anything! This is called “tortious interference” and upon the filing of Mr. Muhammads’ lawsuit, he will definitely win because the “new team” has seen fit to try this case in the eyes of the worldwide media, therefore letting the entire world see their misdeeds. It appears the only person that doesn’t see this is you, Manny. Maybe you don’t understand, but every LIE being told about Murad Muhammad moves him closer to winning the suit against you.
In closing I just want to say this Manny, use your common sense, if Judd Burstein, Shelly Finkel or Freddie Roach thought for one minute that there is actually a case against Murad Muhammad/M & M Sports, they would not have taken $100,000 from you to try to “invent a case”. Believe me when I say to you, they would stand to earn much more money on a contingency basis, but again, there just simply is no case here, so they just took the money. And while all this madness is going on, HBO is scheduling fights well into December now. There are the names of Barerra, Morales and Marquez, but there is no date for Manny Pacquiao, nor can you expect a date because lawsuits take time, sometimes even years, years that most fighters, certainly champions don’t want to give up. Get back to basics Manny, seek out the people who took you to the dance, but most importantly, seek out God and ask Him to cleanse your heart and give you understanding. Then and only then will you be able to pick up a phone a do the right thing. Fufill you contractual obligations of two or three more fights to Murad Muhammad and then after that if you want to ruin your career, have at it, but right now I believe that the manner in which this has been handled has done nothing but harm you career and bring into question when and if you will ever fight in the United States again. Just think.
