MANNY PACQUIAO was placed on the hot seat for seven hours yesterday in the presence of a crack team of lawyers from Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) in connection with the case (tortuous interference) filed by the Oscar De La Hoya-owned company against Top Rank.
Top litigator Jeff Spitz led in the grilling of the Filipino fighter in Los Angeles and also in attendance were Burt Fields and Judd Burstein, who form the formidable legal team of GBP.
But Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said Pacquiao displayed grace under pressure as he described his company’s top attraction as being “feisty” and “street smart” during an interview by phone yesterday.
Aside from GBP’s lawyers, also present were De La Hoya and Richard Schaefer, the man who runs the affairs of the company on a daily basis.
Pacquiao and Arum were joined by their two lawyers, including Daniel Petrocelli, and two personal legal counsels tapped by Pacquiao himself.
Pacquiao is expected to be examined again today before being allowed to head back home later in the evening. Pacquiao is set to arrive in Manila early Saturday morning.
Apart from the deposition proceedings, a possible mediation between GBP and Top Rank is also being eyed.
Arum said he is more than happy to work with GBP on a possible tie-up so Pacquiao gets to fight with famous names in the superfeatherweight class such as Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.
But De la Hoya appears intent on proceeding with the case to settle the issue of who really must manage Pacquioa.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao confidant Wakee Salud said it is becoming apparent that Top Rank cannot deliver in its promise to bring marquee matchups to Pacquiao since it does not control the division’s big names.
“Manny must move on,” said Salud, suggesting that he should now drop Arum. “He can no longer afford to fight no-names like Jorge Solis. What he needs right now is a big fight against the likes of Barrera.”
Top Rank hasn’t made a formal announcement regarding Pacquiao’s next fight even if Humberto Soto, a prime candidate, mauled Bobby Pacquiao over the weekend in New York.
