TEXT message of the day yesterday, and flavor of the season too, was the one from a friend who excused himself for tardiness, all due to lapse in judgment. (“Kung hindi man ako naka-text recently, I AM SORRY. Pinagsisihan ko ang lahat. It was a lapse of judgment.”)
Of course, the story of the day for the Filipino boxing fan yesterday was the screaming victory scored by our Manny Pacquiao in his grim legal fight against handlers, both Filipino and American, found to have duped him.
Promoter Murad Muhammad offered an out-of-court settlement to end the New York jury trial of the $33-million case filed by Pacquiao.
As a result, Pacquiao has been freed of Murad’s stranglehold, after the New Jersey promoter was ordered by the court to pay huge settlement money and the legal fees for Pacquiao’s battery of lawyers who agreed to represent the Philippine boxing icon for a minimum of $100,000.
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It’s rather odd, but an initial reading of the trial result tended Print this story Send this story Write the editor Reprint this article View other stories
to show the best Pacquiao had scored in the legal skirmish was a limp draw.
“Pacquiao and Murad have settled their legal battle out of court, resulting in the dropping of their suits and countersuits…” wrote one reporter who has been openly identified with Murad.
At least two other stories failed to drum up the Pacquiao win and focused rather on the out-of-court settlement.
Not the Star, whose sports section banner read: “Manny TKOs Murad” Wrote Joaquin Henson: “In the face of overwhelming evidence, Murad Muhammad threw in the towel and offered an out-of-court settlement to end the New York federal jury trial of the $33 million case Manny Pacquiao filed against the New Jersey promoter. It was a resounding victory not only for Pacquiao but also for the sport of boxing.”
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Well, all told, we could conclude that those who had tried to picture a draw in the Pacquiao-Murad bout had also been hampered by “lapse in judgment.”
At least, unlike the erring President of the land, they should be forgiven. They did not happen to represent the Philippines and its people, and they did not try to manipulate results of the national election.
For how, ask Muhammad Ali and all the other fight greats, could it be a draw when Murad had to throw in the towel?
“Murad did not sense a draw, he knew he would lose it flat, the reason he asked for settlement,” explained fight expert Hermie Rivera.
That’s very hard to contest, for it had become quite clear and certain, Rivera added, Murad would’ve been knocked out cold had the hearing continued and the court ruled using the full revelation provision in the Muhammad Ali Reform Act.
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If there were no winners, there should be no reason to celebrate.
Truth is, as noted by Henson, Pacquiao has won the first test of the Reform Act, which seeks, among others, “to protect the rights and welfare of professional boxers on an interstate basis by preventing certain exploitative, oppressive and unethical business practices…”
Pacquiao will thus claim the balance of the pay-per-view receipts that Top Rank withheld in relation to the Erik Morales fight last March.
The bigger triumph, of course, was the one scored by Pacquiao “for all of boxing.”
Pacquiao had clearly been exploited, not only by his US promoter but by his Filipino handlers, as well.
His victory will however be officially registered as a stoppage, a resounding KO, only if he proceeds to go after Filipino tormentors on whom he had innocently entrusted his life and career.
Pacquiao, unlike his idol and backer in Malaca?ang, should not allow himself to suffer from lapse in judgment.
He has the whole boxing world to represent.
