MAGNIFICENT Manny Pacquiao annihilated Erik Morales in three brutal rounds last Sunday, proving the legendary Mexican was no longer ?El Terrible,? at least not to the Filipino ring idol.
With his conquest of Morales in the celebrated Grand Finale rubber match, Pacquiao once again lived up to the hopes of millions of his countrymen and brought untold joy to a nation that has idolized this remarkable ring warrior in recent years.
But the jubilation of millions of Filipinos and the unprecedented hero?s welcome given Pacquiao on his return yesterday failed to hide the concern over his being at the center of a bitter legal battle between arch-rivals Oscar de la Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions and the cunning veteran Bob Arum of Top Rank Inc., both of whom are battling for the right to promote his mega-buck ring career in the years ahead.
It seems, at least on the surface, that Pacquiao is not merely caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between De la Hoya and Arum, but far more distressingly caught in an internal factional struggle between two groups within the new Team Pacquiao.
New lawyer
Los Angeles agent Michael Koncz, who told us that Pacquiao had taken his advice and hired Las Vegas lawyer William Coulthard?who had nothing to do with Pacquiao?s career?to sort out the legal complications of his two contracts.
?This is because everybody was pulling from every direction,? said Koncz, referring to those in Pacquiao?s inner circle.
His statement virtually confirmed earlier reports of a muted internal struggle between a group identified with trainer Freddie Roach and the so-called LA Boys, who were inclined toward De la Hoya, and Salud, Koncz and maybe even lawyer Franklin ?Jing? Gacal, who were lined up behind Arum.
Koncz, who flew in with Pacquiao, said the new lawyer had asked everybody in the Pacquiao camp to refrain from commenting on the contractual dispute or any situation, which is probably why the Filipino champion himself has repeatedly refused to comment?certainly the wisest thing to do at this point.
The head of Pacquiao?s management team, Shelly Finkel, said it wouldn?t have been such a mess if he was consulted.
Obviously, the astute manager with vast experience in dealing with promoters and in sorting out contracts was not involved. That may have well been, a crucial mistake, but as Finkel so correctly pointed out, ?arrogance and bad advice are a bad combination.?
The trouble broke out when Arum announced at the Pacquiao-Morales post-fight news conference that he had signed a deal with Manny Pacquiao Promotions, meaning the Filipino champion will fight under the Top Rank promotional banner for the next four years. The complication was that Pacquiao had already signed a seven-fight deal with Golden Boy Promotions shortly after his arrival in Los Angeles in mid-September to begin training for his Nov. 18 showdown with Morales.
Arum?s announcement was actually no surprise to us since as early as Oct. 20, Standard Today reported that the Top Rank boss claimed Pacquiao would continue to fight for his outfit. This immediately raised serious questions over Pacquiao?s inking a widely publicized seven-fight deal with Golden Boy a few days earlier.
Arum claimed that the Golden Boy contract was invalid because of a specific provision in the Morales fight contract that prevented Pacquiao from signing up with any other promoter until after the Nov. 18 clash at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Despite the fact that Pacquiao seemingly ignored the specific provision, which Arum claimed was gone through with a fine tooth comb by Pacquiao?s lawyer Gacal, he said he was not prepared to call off the big money showdown, where the Filipino would earn a $3-million purse, plus several million more from his share of pay-per-view revenues. Arum said calling off the fight would be crazy and in a statement designed to please Pacquiao, Arum told boxing writer Greg Leon he would not ?stick it to Manny because I love Manny.?
Everybody loves Manny
This may well be the crux of Pacquiao?s troubles. Everybody around him and who benefit from him claim to love him, but the emerging scenario shows otherwise, with some exceptions of course. Because if his advisers and lawyers really did their job, Pacquiao would not have been embroiled in a legal battle which may spare him for the moment, but is bound to catch up with him later on unless resolved amicably. It?s a sad moment for millions of Filipinos, who cut across all social and economic divisions.
Arum provided a hint of what was to come when he said: ?At the end of the day I am convinced, win or lose, Manny Pacquiao?s next fight will be under the banner of Top Rank.?
Shortly afterwards in an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Standard Today, Arum said he was standing by his statement that Pacquiao will continue to fight for Top Rank. ?I can?t say how, why, what and so forth. That?s all I can say.?
There were indications that Rex ?Wakee? Salud, who is often referred to as a close friend and confidant of Pacquiao, along with Koncz, a Los Angeles boxing agent, had offered to deliver Pacquiao, former world super flyweight champion Gerry Pe?alosa and flyweight contender Diosdado Gabi to Arum. That didn?t happen as Gabi left Koncz, hooked up with Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach and quickly signed up with Golden Boy. Pe?alosa also signed up with De la Hoya?s outfit, leaving Salud virtually high and dry.
Salud had been left out of the close-in group that accompanied Pacquiao to a late dinner meeting with De la Hoya at Morton?s steakhouse, where the seven-fight contract was signed. It seems Salud had some explaining to do to Arum. Salud revealed that he was forced to stay behind in LA for some 12 days, even skipping a planned birthday celebration in the Philippines in order to resolve the problems with Arum over the Golden Boy contract and to prevent him from filing a case against Pacquiao. On his return, Salud told us his ?mission was completed.?
Could it be that the mission was to work out the promotional agreement which Arum revealed in the post-fight press conference? When pressed for details, the Filipino boxing promoter and manager refused to say much except ?just wait and see.?
Trouble brewing
The wait is now over and the trouble has begun.
There was widespread coverage given the Arum statement both in the local media, as well as the numerous boxing Web sites. Rick Reeno of the respected boxingscene.com reported on Nov. 19 that Pacquiao, according to Arum, was now a Top Rank fighter and that he had returned the $500,000 signing bonus that had been given to the Filipino by De la Hoya. Reeno also reported that Golden Boy Promotions refused to accept the check. To have accepted the refund, would have, to all intents and purposes, scuttled their contract.
Salud himself, in an overseas conversation with Viva Sports/Standard Today clarified that the contract covered four years and not four fights, as initially understood.
Reeno noted that Pacquiao was ?the second fighter in recent months to agree to a deal with Golden Boy Promotions, only to turn back on the deal and sign with a rival promoter.?
That fighter was World Boxing Association lightweight champion Juan Diaz, who agreed to a deal with Golden Boy and then signed with Don King a few months later. Diaz is the fighter, who outclassed Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation champion Randy Suico in a world title fight some months ago, winning by a TKO.
This time around, it was, as Reeno pointed out: ?A bit more sensitive.? This is because Pacquiao signed an actual contract with Golden Boy. However, Arum stood his ground that the deal was invalid because it was allegedly stipulated in his contract with Pacquiao for the third bout with Morales that he (Arum) was ?first in line to negotiate a deal and had an exclusive time period to make a deal up until January 2007.?
Shortly after the De la Hoya contract was signed and Arum threatened to sue Golden Boy and possibly include Pacquiao in the suit, De la Hoya himself called us from Puerto Rico to send a message ?to everyone in the Philippines, especially to Manny Pacquiao.?
The message was simple. ?Do not worry about anything. Everything is okay. We have a legal contract with Manny Pacquiao, and Bob Arum who is threatening to sue?that is him being a bully like always.?
De la Hoya, who is known for his decency, said he did not wish to talk badly about people because that was not in his character. ?But when Bob Arum is again being a bully, I have to stand up for what is right. And the right thing is that me and Manny Pacquiao have a good contract and Manny does not have to worry about anything.?
Harassment
Salud, founding secretary-general of the pre-eminent World Boxing Council and a gentleman steeped in the law and in sports for at least four decades, who, incidentally, has no relation to Wakee Salud, warned Arum that should he decide to include Pacquiao in any lawsuit over the Golden Boy contract, he could be sued for ?harassment.? De la Hoya indicated they would do the same thing. He revealed that Arum had sued him twice before. ?But we beat him in court two times,? said De la Hoya.
He then drove home the point that as fighters, he and Pacquiao ?stand up for each other and we believe what is right and we will win. No problem. We are doing the right thing.?
The moment Arum announced he had a deal with Pacquiao, Salud cautioned Pacquiao to honor the contract he signed with Golden Boy some two months ago because there could be big legal trouble if he goes with Arum.
?Pacquiao cannot sign a contract and afterwards return the money and sign with somebody else as if nothing happened because he returned the money. This is not allowed by law since it would result in chaos,? Salud made it clear.
Pre-empting a possible ploy by Arum to claim the Golden Boy contract was not an executed contract, Salud emphasized that ?once there is a meeting of the minds which is signified by signing a contract with terms and conditions and the two parties affix their signatures and Manny received an advance, that?s executed.?
Responding to Arum?s claim that Pacquiao was prohibited from signing with Golden Boy or any other promoter under the Nov. 18 fight contract with him, Salud argued that the stipulation was in relation to ?any fight before the Morales fight and not any fight after.?
Roach, who actually brought Pacquiao to the meeting with De la Hoya and his vice president and international matchmaker Eric Gomez, who had earlier in the year signed up emerging ring sensation Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista and OPBF super flyweight champion Z ?The Dream? Gorres, said he saw nothing wrong with Pacquiao?s signing with Golden Boy because the contract will take effect only after the Morales fight.
No breach of contract
?There was no such thing as a breach of contract or tortuous interference by Golden Boy with Pacquiao?s contract for the Morales fight,? added Salud, who pointed out that it covered a ?future unspecified fight with an unnamed opponent.?
However, he was confident that Golden Boy could, on the other hand, sue Arum for tortuous interference which is exactly what they did last Nov. 22. The lawsuit charged Top Rank with tortuous interference with its ?existing, fully negotiated and executed promotional agreement with Manny Pacquiao.?
What exacerbated the situation was the announcement by Arum that he had planned a fight at the plush, newly opened Wynn Hotel and Casino in Macau in March or April next year, possibly against undefeated Edwin Valero, who has a record of 20 KOs in 20 fights, with 18 coming in the very first round. Significantly, Wakee Salud disclosed some months ago that both he and Pacquiao had been invited by Arum to attend the inauguration in Macau, but that they didn?t go because the Pacman had wanted to spend some time with his family. The intriguing question is why Arum invited Wakee Salud. Was there something deeper to their relationship? (To be continued)
