MANNY PACQUIAO was to take the witness stand on the second day of questioning in his $33-million (P1.78 billion) lawsuit against Murad Muhammad filed in US federal court in New York, as the Filipino icon’s lawyers sought to establish a money trail that allowed the boxer’s estranged American promoter to allegedly siphon more than $7 million from his purses in seven fights in the United States since 2001.
Judge Loretta Preska of the US District Court presided over the selection of eight jurors—six women—for the case and heard the opening statements of the lawyers the whole day Monday (Tuesday in Manila).
She called for a recess Tuesday, with the hearing resuming Wednesday and Pacquiao expected to take the stand on Thursday (Friday in Manila).
According to Internet reports, the judge appealed to the lawyers to put only factual witnesses on the stand and hasten the examination and cross-examination in the hope of announcing the jury’s verdict before July 4, America’s Independence Day.
By testifying, Pacquiao—a former two-time world champion—would join a list of boxing luminaries expected to be called as witnesses in the case.
Other possible witnesses, according to Pacquiao’s lawyers Judd Burstein and Keith Davidson, include Filipino sports columnist Joaquin “Quinito” Henson, Roberto “Boying” Nazario, trainer Freddie Roach, promoters Lou DiBella and Dino Duva, and the lawyer Sydney Hall—who has also filed charges against Muhammad in superior court in California.
Pacquiao filed suit against Muhammad and his promotional outfit, M&M Sports, on April 27, alleging the promoter withheld some of his earnings.
The lawsuit alleges Muhammad transferred more than 30 percent of Pacquiao’s purses to a shell company—Philippine Boxing LLC, controlled by Pacquiao’s longtime business manager Rod Nazario and his US-based son Roberto—on the basis his American taxes would be paid from there.
But the taxes were never paid, the lawsuit said, leaving the former International Boxing Federation super bantamweight and World Boxing Council flyweight champion with huge bills for back taxes, penalties and interest.
The lawsuit also alleges the arrangement meant his business managers agreed to purses that were below market, since they could make more from the money they set aside than they would from the 10-percent fee on properly negotiated purses.
Muhammad has denied the charges and said it is merely a ploy by Pacquiao’s new handlers—manager Shelly Finkel, the lawyer Nicholas Khan and Davidson—to formally break the Filipino’s contract, which specifies he has three more fights under the promoter until August 2006.
