LOS ANGELES?While Manny Pacquiao?s wily promoter Murad Muhammad and his cohorts think they have scored a fast one over the Filipino, set US laws will be put to test to reclaim what is rightfully and morally his.
Muhammad, who has put a lock on the bigger chunk of money in the Pacquiao-Morales mega-fight representing pay-per-view (PPV) earnings, is expected to fight Pacquiao himself in court if he insists on pocketing more than what the boxer earned in the fight.
The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act penned by Senator John McCain, which has been enacted into law to protect the interests of exploited boxers like Pacquiao, will be tested soon if truly it has enough teeth to bite and fight crooks and hoodlums in a sport most often tainted by controversy and scandal.
Rightfully, Pacquiao should have been entitled to 40 percent of the PPV pie, but a combination of ignorance, oversight, gross negligence, plain stupidity and guile on the part of Pacquiao?s handlers have given Muhammad and his team of spin doctors a chance to take everything.
The Pacquiao-Morales blockbuster sold a total of 350,000 buys representing around $15 million in revenue. After all other revenue sources will have to be accounted for at the end of this month, half of the proceeds will go to HBO, which bankrolled the event. The other half goes to Bob Arum?s Top Rank Inc., which will be entitled to 60 percent, around 40 percent of which goes to Morales alone.
While Pacquiao should have been entitled to the same 40 percent share being the fighter and the one who put his life on the line on top of the ring, Muhammad will rely on a simple addendum to a contract signed by Pacquiao, in order to collect dues he morally doesn?t deserve.
The established norms regarding PPV shares allots 40 percent dividends to both fighters while the remaining 20 percent is split by the two promoters of both camps.
Journalist Ronnie Nathanielsz admitted responsibility in convincing Pacquiao to sign a two-fight agreement with Muhammad when Pacquiao was all set to fire the New Jersey-based promoter last year. The fork-tongued Muhammad had to court and woo back Pacquiao, staying in the Philippines for a month, with the help of influential lawyer Rudy Salud, among others.
Much hated and maligned by the US media, Muhammad often got booed and heckled in the pre-fight and post-fight press conferences for his lengthy but empty talk. His claim to the 40 percent PPV share has infuriated the whole boxing community and may soon lose face in his future dealings.
For failing to disclose, intentionally or ignorantly, pertinent items and sources of income as required by the Muhammad Ali law, Muhammad may have to convince the US judicial system with a well-thought answer in order to lay claim to around $4 million more in PPV earnings.
Rodolfo Nazario, Pacquiao?s business manager, also needs a lot of explaining to do for his apparent ignorance of the existing laws in America including the Muhammad Ali law, which has resulted in Pacquiao getting shortchanged in many of his fights starting in 2002.
The soft-spoken and kind-hearted Pacquiao has been keeping mum about such deals for many years now.
“The Muhammad Ali law hasn’t been tested much in the past and if it truly protects interests of boxers. Should we file a case against Murad, our case may well be one of the first cases to test its effectivity,” said lawyer Keith Davidson, who may act as the lead lawyer to the case.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao is set to fly to the US very soon to finally settle things and chart a new future for him and his family. He is also set to decide if he is to file a formal civil suit against Murad Muhammad as well as iron out kinks regarding his tax liabilities with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), among others.
(To be continued)
