YOU don?t have to be a lawyer to realize that Golden Boy Promotions?based on all available information?has the promotional rights to Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and not Bob Arum?s Top Rank despite Arum?s claims to the contrary and his fa?ade of confidence.
To begin with, Pacquiao signed with Oscar de la Hoya?s outfit some two months before he was enticed to ink a deal with Arum and even a two-bit lawyer would know that you cannot sign a contract, accept payment and then, when a better offer comes along, return the money and rescind the deal. As the eminent lawyer and World Boxing Council founding secretary-general Rudy Salud so lucidly explained on our Viva Sports? top-rated weekly boxing show ?The Main Event? last Sunday, the law doesn?t allow it.
As Salud explained in layman?s terms, it?s like selling your car, signing the deed of sale, accepting payment and one week later, when a better offer is made, return the money and get the car back to be sold to the higher bidder. It simply cannot be done, otherwise there would be chaos and no contract would be binding.
What concerns us is not so much that Pacquiao finds himself caught in the middle of a bitter struggle between Golden Boy and Arum, who obviously dislike each other but rather, who were Pacquiao?s close advisers, including his lawyer Franklin ?Jing? Gacal, who either enticed or advised him it was okay to sign with Arum long after signing with Golden Boy and taking his money.
It is clear from all our conversations with Rex ?Wakee? Salud, no relation by the way to Rudy Salud, that he sided with Arum from Day 1. To him, Arum is fair and Pacquiao got a terrific deal from him. Salud even branded the De la Hoya signing bonus ?too small.? It didn?t seem to matter to him that Pacquiao had signed first with Golden Boy. Bottom line was, money talks. But as Salud the lawyer warns, if Pacquiao disregarded the Golden Boy contract and signed with Top Rank because of bigger money, he could be in even deeper trouble.
Aside from Salud and Gacal, whom we haven?t heard from when he should be the first to defend Pacquiao?s position, the third man in the intriguing internal play in the new Team Pacquiao is Michael Koncz, an alleged lawyer, who stopped practicing law and who wiggled his way into the sympathetic heart of Pacquiao and even for a time into the good graces of respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer, before the ALA people discovered what kind of a person he was. Flyweight contender Diosdado Gabi found out and fled into the comfort of trainer Freddie Roach?s care while Cotabato Gov. Manny Pi?ol discovered how his fighter?Gabi?was sneaked out by Koncz.
There?s a rumor going the rounds that Arum gifted Koncz with an apartment in Orange County, California. There was also a report that a boxing agent had filed for bankruptcy and the insinuation was that the man was Koncz. It was evident right from the start by Salud?s own statements that he and Koncz were on the same side and they were ranged against Roach and the so-called LA Boys, including Joe Ramos and journalist Winchell Campos, who have, in fairness to them, stood by Manny since they first earned his confidence and trust. The key no doubt is Roach, who has turned a rough gem into a sparkling diamond?a Philippine national treasure. Roach has said he hopes Manny keeps faith with the Golden Boy deal because it?s best for him in terms of his career since De La Hoya has all the fighters?and the big money fights ? that Pacquiao wants.
Arum, on the other hand, has lost his cash cow Erik Morales and has nobody who can earn him the big bucks. That?s why he needed Pacquiao and enticed him to sign up. It?s not that he?or even De la Hoya for that matter, love Manny. As Rudy Salud so clearly points out?nobody can love Pacquiao the way his countrymen do. So let?s cut the crap and let?s follow the law and the decent thing to do. Pacquiao should honor his deal with Golden Boy and millions of Filipinos, who also admire De la Hoya, will stand by him. After all, Pacquiao is our national treasure and although some scoundrels rape our forests and ruin our environment with their rapacious mining, the average Filipino knows how to cherish a national treasure. And we will.
