Part I of a multi-part series.
On the far wall of Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California is a 24-by-36-inch picture of Manny Pacquiao posing with his IBF jr. featherweight belt. Among all the pictures, photos and fight posters that adorn the wall of this busy boxing metropolis, the photo of Pacquiao is by far the biggest.
It was put up just days after Pacquiao’s stunning knockout win over Marco Antonio Barrera this past November in San Antonio, Texas. It was a tribute to a fighter who had broken out into the big time. And now, it’s about as close as you’ll get to seeing ‘the Pac Man’ inside Roach’s gym, because it looks like the real thing won’t be coming back anytime soon.
In what was a well-publicized battle for the control of Pacquiao’s career, it seems that incumbent promoter Murad Muhammad and business manager Rod Nazario have kept his services for at least the duration of his current promotional contract.
“I want to finish my contract with Murad, which ends in one year,” Pacquiao told the Manila Standard last week. “If I don’t respect a contract I signed, then nobody will respect a contract they sign with me.”
This came as news to Roach. Throughout their relationship, which began when they started working together before Pacquiao’s title winning performance versus Lehlo Ledwaba in May of 2001, Pacquiao had constant questions whether he was being compensated fairly for his efforts. Pacquiao had reached out to Roach on many occasions before concerning his financial and promotional situation.
“Manny came to me and asked me for help and I would have never gotten involved in this mess I’m in right now if he didn’t come to me and say ‘Coach, they’re stealing my money. Can you help me?'” Roach told MaxBoxing at his gym during a break in-between working with fighters.
Roach said he reached out to get two attorneys to look into the matter after the Barrera fight.
“They started to file some lawsuits, we wanted to get some disclosure of where the money went on Manny’s U.S. fights,” Roach said. “And Manny said, ‘I’ll never fight for Murad again, he’s stealing my money’. He asked me if I would be his manager and he offered me 20-percent and I said ‘OK, I’ll be your manager. I’ll take 10-percent as your trainer, 10-percent as your manager and I’ll pay the cutman and I’ll pay his helpers and so forth’ because money really wasn’t the issue or anything like that.”
While Pacquiao had been suspicious of his compensation in the past, things came to a head when he saw a contract for him that was significantly more than what he was receiving that night. Things became public when Jim Lampley of HBO mentioned the discrepancy on the air, shortly after the stoppage the bout.
“The thing is, I know for a fact that the HBO contract was $700,000 and I know when Manny came to me the day of the weigh-in, he said ‘Coach, do you know how much I’m making?’ I said, ‘Yeah, $700,000’. He said ‘How come they’re only paying me $300,000?'” recalled Roach. “And then when HBO made it public, when they announced it on the air, everyone started backpedaling. All of a sudden Manny got two ‘bonuses’ for $200,000 more I heard in the Philippines. They got caught I think. But if you check the records, his check was for $300,000. That’s what I get paid off of and that’s what Marty Elorde, his manager, got paid off and that’s what everyone gets paid off of. Anyone that gets paid on percentages, we get paid off of Manny’s end only.”
Which means that if Pacquiao was getting skimmed, it would trickle down.
“They now say that he made a half-million and that Murad only took $200,000. Is that legal?” asked Roach.
It has to be noted that if that’s all Muhammad received of the $700,000, it’s in line with many other arrangements in the business.
“He showed up the day of the fight, I mean, he wasn’t a co-promoter of the show, De La Hoya promoted that show. All he did was show up the day before the fight to collect his money. But we’ll never figure out what the figures are,” Roach said.
Now, Roach is left without one of the most acclaimed fighters in the sport.
“I just wanted to help the kid, because I was a fighter once and I just don’t feel promoters should steal money off of fighters,” said Roach, who detected some uneven math. “And Manny, all of a sudden I get a call, he went the other way. Mr. Nazario called me and told me ‘Manny decided to stay with Murad for his next two fights’ and I said, ‘What’s going on here?’
“The last fight you’re telling me you’re making $300,000 and after he paid his sparring partners, so forth, our deal was 10-percent and you gave me $25,000. And now you’re saying Manny really didn’t make $300,000, he’s making $500,000? Well, 10-percent of $500,000, you owe me some money.’
“And he said ‘Well, that’s how it goes’ and I said ‘Well, with you guys not giving the real figures and so forth and with Manny asking me for help and now changing his mind after I stuck my neck out there for him, got the lawyers for free and got the lawsuit started and accused Murad Muhammad of stealing money. Now you’re saying you’re gonna stay with the guy? I can’t be part of it anymore.'”
In most promotional and contractual disputes, trainers are usually interested bystanders and oftentimes victims of the crossfire that can exist between the feuding factions. Roach, in this instance, placed himself squarely in the eye of the storm. A trainer found himself in the midst of a managerial and promotional conflict. Being known as a meddlesome trainer could hurt his standing in a business that’s built on people trusting others with their fighters.
Roach has caught the ire of the bombastic Muhammad.
“I believe I’ve been sabotaged, I believe I’ve been tortuously interfered with in my contract, I believe in all the ugly things that spell wrongdoing, have happened to Murad Muhammad,” Muhammad stated loudly and clearly to MaxBoxing.
Speaking to Muhammad can be a frustrating, but somewhat entertaining, exercise. He is prone to go off into unrelated tangents and streams of consciousness filled with malapropisms.
After his initial statement he would speak of being the first African-American promoter to have a casino controlled license in the state of New Jersey and then letter writing campaigns on his behalf – that included his children. All of which he says, points to his spotless reputation. He’s basically a poor man’s version of Don King.
“I say all that to say,” Muhammad continued, finally getting back to the subject at hand, “How do I keep this kind of clean name for THREE decades and here comes a trainer, A TRAINER that gets ALL THIS PUBLICITY, [and says] that I’m a crook. Just think about it.”
And Muhammad is fighting mad at a trainer he says unfairly besmirched his good name.
“I love Dr. King, but I NEVER believe in turning the other cheek and I’ve been smacked and I’m going to get the guy who’s behind all of this and it will come out and I will expose him and I GAR-RUUUNN-TEEE you, he’ll never do it to no one else because they made a mistake.”
And Muhammad thinks that Roach must be stopped.
“I’ll tell you this, what makes Freddie Roach dangerous?” Muhammad asked rhetorically. “As I told somebody ‘Well, maybe he’s a victim?’ Then he’s dangerous because he don’t have his own mind. And they say in law enforcement if a guy don’t have his own mind, keep him in lock-up. Freddie don’t have his own mind to come out against me with no validity behind it to make these accusations and innuendos and I’m telling you, unless Manny overrules me, I’ll be working day and night to get Freddie Roach the HELL out of there.”
When informed that Roach had made his resignation final over the weekend, Muhammad responded by saying “GOOD!!!”
He couldn’t have been happier.
“You don’t keep a diabolical, grafted, back-stabbin’ trainer in there when you got some of the greatest trainers out here today we can pick.”
But Muhammad doesn’t seem satisfied with just getting Roach out of Pacquiao’s corner.
“Let me say this: Freddie Roach and his posse could have shot at Murad Muhammad and missed and I would not have come after them with what they have done to me,” he said passionately. “With what they have done to my good name, my father taught me ‘Son, a good name is better than gold’. He didn’t say paper. This country is backed by gold. And I came into this industry to keep the name Muhammad CLEAN and gold. I’m better than gold!!!!
“And this man tried to dirty my name and kill my name,” Muhammad continued. “This is the worst thing they could have ever done. Now, this became a principle.”
Roach’s feelings on Muhammad are mutual.
“Murad Muhammad says he performs miracles,” Roach deadpaned. “He sure does, he makes money disappear.”
