Much ado is made about Manny Pacquiao’s defamation case against the Mayweathers and the Golden Boys.
I think Pacquiao’s case is starting to smell like a money-draining loser.
Some people view the pending case as some sort of hammer which Pacman can use even in his fight to land an enriching super fight against Floyd Mayweather. Pacman adviser Michael Koncz says the lawsuit is not part of any bout agreement.
I beg to differ.
I don’t see Manny’s lawsuit as being any big deal, really, because it is highly unlikely that the Pinoy Idol, rididing a crest of international publicity which has made him a multimillionaire and now a Filipino Congressman, can prove that his career has been damaged by the nonsensical accusations by Mayweather and his allies.
Don King did not convice Florida Court of Appeals judge that ESPN portrayal had harmed him (AP Photo)
Is he damaged as he may take home a $40 million purse against the undefeated Mayweather. Is he damaged as he won a landslide electoral victory in Sarangani and is touted as a possible future president of his beloved homeland?
In fact, it could be argued that the drug cheating noise has made Pacman even more popular in many quarters.
I think Pacquiao’s lawsuit for such public statements by the Mayweathers and by Oscar de la Hoya and his sidekick, Richie Rich Schaefer, is not even a factor in the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight negotiations which, or so we’re told only require Mayweather’s acquiescence and signature to produce the Big Fight on Nov. 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
I’m now taking the view that Pacman’s case may be a loser.
And losing a defamation case is something promoter Don King just experienced as the Florida Court of Appeals could tell Pacquiao and King’s former archrival, Bob Arum, all about.
Here’s how Nick MCann, reporter for Courthouse News, reported King’s court loss to defendant ESPN:
“(CN) – Even though producers allegedly tried to portray him as a “huckster” and “thug,” notorious boxing promoter Don King could not prove that an ESPN special about his career was made to harm him, the Florida Court of Appeals ruled.
King, who has promoted the biggest names in modern boxing, sued ESPN and its parent company the Walt Disney Company in 2005 based on a “SportsCentury” special about his life and career that aired in 2001.
He specifically pointed to five statements made in the special by former colleagues implying, among other things, that King cheated a hospital out of more than $80,000 and threatened to have his critics killed.
King pointed to notes on the show’s script where producers allegedly wrote that the program should portray him as “more evil,” “greedy,” and “engaging in criminal activities.”
Judge Dorian Damoorgian was unconvinced.”
Damages may be the unprovable or least convincing part of Pacquiao’s ongoing case.
Meanwhile, the legal meter keeps running and the fees keep skyrocketing.
More to come on Pacquiao’s defamation action.
