MANILA, Philippines?They don?t just bar outsiders, suspected intruders are also in danger of being knocked out inside the Wild Card Gym where national treasure Manny Pacquiao has been training in seclusion.
This developed Wednesday following a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer by Greg Asuncion, a Filipino working at the Los Angeles Sheriff?s Office who claimed he was inexplicably punched and knocked out while watching Pacquiao, whom he had accompanied to the gym from his Palazzo residence.
?Can I talk to you?? Asuncion text-messaged the Inquirer. ?They treated me like an animal. They hit and drove me away.?
Asuncion claimed that, as a result of the incident, he had to call 911.
He said he ended up in the hospital.
He placed the incident at around 2 p.m., Oct. 20, 2008.
Asuncion later confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with broadcaster Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Nathanielsz said Asuncion initially named the suspected assailant, a top man at Team Pacquiao, but the line was cut before the victim was able to confirm the name of his attacker.
?He was coherent, but Greg appeared uncertain as to the identity of his attacker,? Nathanielsz told the Inquirer.
This led Nathanielsz and one nosy reporter to wonder if trainer Freddie Roach has also hired spirits to shield Pacquiao from suspected gym spies.
Nathanielsz was trying to contact Asuncion, a close-in ally of Pacquiao who once fell out of grace from the boxing superhero.
Meanwhile, Asuncion said he would next submit a police report.
He promised to e-mail to the Inquirer the identity of the suspect.
?I will file a lawsuit, we will subpoena them,? he said. ?I?m ready to fight them.?
