MANILA, Philippines?A former member of Manny Pacquiao?s entourage claimed Tuesday that he was indeed assaulted by a Wild Card gym personnel allegedly for getting into the training camp without permission.
Gregorio Asuncion, in a message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, alleged he was punched on the ?back of the neck,? causing him to lose his balance twice in an incident that happened after he accompanied Pacquiao to the Wild Card gym.
He mentioned the name of his attacker but the Inquirer is withholding the person?s identity pending Asuncion?s filing of a court complaint.
A report in www.boxingconfidential.com, however, said that staffers at the Hollywood gym owned by Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach ?firmly denied that anyone hit Asuncion.?
?Their (Wild Card staffers?) story is that he (Asuncion) was an unwelcome trespasser who was directed to leave the premises,? said the report.
Efforts by the Inquirer to reach Roach for comment Thursday proved futile.
Roach earlier ordered a closed-door training at the gym for the Filipino superstar, who is preparing for his Dream Match against American great Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Michael Marley, who wrote the report, said Asuncion would file a lawsuit against Roach and other gym staffers.
?Asuncion, known in the Pacquiao inner circle as ?Sheriff Boy? due to his 25 years of employment at the LA County Sheriff?s Office, is proceeding with a lawsuit against Roach and others,? wrote Marley.
?I get the feeling that Sheriff Boy won?t be riding in Manny?s two-seat Mercedes any time soon.?
Asuncion said in his message to the Inquirer that he rode with Pacquiao to the gym on Tuesday when the Gen. Santos City lefty reported for his daily training.
He said that once inside the gym, Roach welcomed Pacquiao but declined his own offer of a handshake.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao is now concerned that he?s losing more pounds than necessary.
Currently tipping the scales at 150 pounds, just three over the catchweight of 147, Pacquiao said he has to eat more to keep his fighting weight against De La Hoya.
?Suddenly, I?m not concerned about pushing myself hard in training just to make the weight limit,? Pacquiao said in his vernacular column in the tabloid Abante. ?I now have to eat more so that I won?t be underweight on fight day.?
Roach said Pacquiao is likely to weigh in at 145 lb and climb the ring at 155.
Pacquiao sparred four rounds against 5-foot-11 middleweight Rashad Holloway Tuesday then worked on the heavy bag and speed ball. He capped the day with calisthenics and shadow boxing.
The Pacman then went to the HBO studios to tape interviews with writers of the 24/7 four-part series that will be shown by the cable giant to hype up the $100-million mega fight.
On Nov. 4, an HBO crew will film Pacquiao?s daily regimen from the moment he wakes up until he retires at his posh Palazzo residence. HBO will do the same coverage for De La Hoya.
?Even if I wanted to make my training exclusive and private, I can?t ignore the HBO crew which has to catch my every move,? said Pacquiao.
