LOS ANGELES—Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao took the 8 a.m. flight to New York Monday after a brief stop here Sunday night hoping to see American justice at work first-hand and that he retrieves several millions from ex-promoter Murad Muhammad in a $33 million lawsuit.
Pacquiao, who made a rendezvous with his lawyer-managers Keith Davidson and Nicholas Khan, trainer Freddie Roach and friend Joe Ramos at the LA airport to meet up with New York-based high profile lawyer Judd Burstein and manager Shelly Finkel, was optimistic about his chances in winning his first out-of-the-ring battle.
His courtroom brawl with the fork-tongued Muhammad, whom he accused of stealing millions since 2001, starts June 20 in New York with Judge Loretta Preska presiding over a select jury.
“It doesn’t matter to me if I win or lose in this case. I filed this case for all of boxing, knowing that boxers are some of the most exploited people in the sporting world,” said Pacquiao in Filipino.
“Prinsipyo lang at iyong hangad ng katotohanan and laban ko dito,” [It is for the principle (of seeking redress) and my fight in seeking the truth here] added Pacquiao, whose team of experts led by lawyers Burstein and Davison were granted an expedited jury trial. The whole process, from jury selection to the announcement of a verdict, may take a span of only two weeks, a matter which elated Pacquiao.
“At least, I will have peace of mind after all of these (problems) and I can concentrate on my fighting career,” said the 26-year-old General Santos native, who is seeking $13 million on five claims of relief and $20 million in punitive damages.
Pacquiao was confident that the American wheels of justice will be swift, decisive and fair. He also commended the US brand of justice for working on a speedy resolution of the case, something remiss from the Philippine judicial system version.
Muhammad, represented by lawyer Julian W. Friedman, should convince the jury that his client deserves every cent of the disputed pay-per-view earnings from Pacquiao’s previous fight with Mexican Erik Morales, an edge-of-the-seat thriller which grossed $15 million. Among other battle points include Pacquiao’s mishandled US tax problems which Muhammad apparently mismanaged in cahoots with Filipino business manager Rodolfo Nazario and his son Roberto.
The Nazarios, who have been claiming responsibility for filing and paying Pacquiao’s taxes with the IRS here, were not yet named in any lawsuit as of press time.
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