PACQUIAO PULLS BACK FROM THE BRINK…AGAIN.

by TED LERNER

(Manila, Philippines)–It was not a good week for Manny Pacquiao.

In the middle of grueling training in Los Angeles for his May 2^nd showdown with Britain’s Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao suddenly decided that he needed more money.  Lots more money.  And so he appeared on Philippine television giant ABS-CBN in a taped message emanating from the balcony of his LA apartment, and told the entire nation back home that he was switching television networks. Pacquiao had been with giant sports broadcaster Solar Sports, but now said his fans would be watching all his fights, including the upcoming Hatton fight, on the country’s largest broadcaster, ABS-CBN.

Pacquiao didn’t seem too worried that he had an iron clad contract with Solar to air his fights through 2011. Anyway, he claimed, Solar had violated the terms of their deal, something about money owed to him not being remitted on time to his bank account. From all accounts, especially Manny’s, it seemed like a done deal. ABS-CBN even went so far as to start airing promos on their stations stating, “Welcome Back Manny.”

The news immediately caused a firestorm of controversy and drama to erupt nationwide, with even  lowly peasant rice farmers and pedicab drivers wondering just what had gotten into their hero. Could Pacquiao, everyone seemed to be wondering, just walk away from a legal contract just because he wants to? Maybe our hero is not so special after all? Is it really whatever Pacquiao wants, Pacquiao gets?

At first it seemed so, especially when Pacquiao demanded that Solar open their books to prove he hadn’t been cheated. But Solar wasn’t going to let their cash cow go that easily. They said they’d open their books, but only in court, where Pacquiao would be welcomed with a lawsuit seeking damages hovering around the $4 million mark. The whole episode looked like it was going to head straight into the gutter, with the result being that Pacquiao would be in the middle of one of those never ending over-the-top Philippine dramas, unable to concentrate on his training, and could very well lose the fight with Hatton because of it.

Then, suddenly, as if sensing his empire could vanish as quickly as it had risen, Pacquiao, called off the dogs. He publicly rescinded his decision to drop Solar and move to ABS-CBN. He said he was sorry for the confusion and that he would now honor his contract with Solar and get back to training for Hatton.

Whew! That was close. It appears that once again, we’ve been witness to another Manny Pacquiao great escape. I had been tempted to proclaim that this was the first real crack in the seemingly invincible damn that is Manny Pacquiao. And indeed, if Manny had persisted in pushing through with the change of networks, you probably would’ve seen me at the Mirage sports book in Vegas holding a big suitcase in my hand, anxious to place it all on Hatton.  Getting involved in a major league business squabble, court cases and mudslinging five weeks before one of the biggest fights of your life is not the ideal path to winning and success. I’ve been around sports long enough to know that no matter how invincible an athlete appears, ego and lack of focus will take down even Superman on steroids.

We’ve seen this kind of on-the-edge drama from Pacquiao many times over the past few years, and each time, just when you think he’s in way over his head, he manages to pull back and get his act together and, amazingly, move on to even greater heights. Hardly any Filipino boxers can escape the clutches of their local managers, but Pacquiao was able to do just that when he ditched Rod Nazario and Marty Elorde several years back to seek bigger fortunes. Pacquiao then managed to wriggle out of a contract with Murah Muhammad, even winning a case in a US court. He slipped out of the fingers of Shelly Finkel and Gary Shaw too. Then he took half a million dollars from Oscar de la Hoya, only to turn around a few days later and commit to Bob Arum, who gave Pacquiao twice the amount.

This is all absolutely amazing stuff, considering where Pacquiao comes from and his relative lack of formal education. He appears to constantly walk the high wire in a stiff wind, completely oblivious to the consequences of even the slightest slip. And always he emerges stronger, richer and larger than before. Without a doubt the seemingly reckless Pacquiao thrill ride, in and out of the ring, is very much a part of his worldwide appeal.

Judging from the comments both public and private here in the Philippines, however, this time appeared to be different, and Pacquiao must have sensed this.  The vitriol spewed towards Pacquiao was almost universal. From the beginning of the entire episode, Pacquiao came off as insincere, greedy, stupid and dishonorable.  Everyone knows he’s about to cash in for something like $20 million. In a down economy where millions are getting by on pennies a day, bullying your way to even more riches is about as bad a PR move as could be conceived.

Much has been written by outsiders of Pacquiao’s wild popularity here in the Philippines and to some extent, much of it is true. I’ve seen the adulation and the hero worship up close, even from inside Pacquiao’s world. Pacquiao, however, cannot take any of this for granted. His back peddling from these demands means he realizes just how fragile his position can be, especially if he doesn’t play the game wisely. For if he was to pursue his wishes of changing networks, and he ended up losing to Hatton, Filipinos would have pilloried him. To his Filipino fans, losing but giving your all is forgivable, even laudable. But losing because of greed and stupidity is a sin.

I sense, however, that even though this episode appears to have been resolved, there is still some lingering resentment towards Pacquiao among some sectors of Filipinos. They feel he’s been exposed as man out for himself, not his country.

While this may be true, I don’t see the problem with a “me first” attitude. Better to take care of yourself first, and worry about everyone else later.

For the moment, however, Pacquaio has pulled back from the brink of almost certain disaster, both professionally and personally. Now it’s back to training like there’s no tomorrow. Thank goodness. For the coming battle on May 2^nd is the only fight that fans want to see.

*This article originally appeared on www.asianboxingnews.com