Murad Muhammad Strikes Back at Roach and Finkel

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

International promoter Murad Muhammad yesterday hit back at Ring Magazine/IBA featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach and his new management team headed by Shelly Finkel for "grabbing at straws and trying to discredit me" by peddling lies which Murad said were unfortunately being lapped up by journalists who knew little about the business of boxing. Murad accused Roach and Finkel's team of "playing dirty" even as he listed a litany of failures of Roach in the fight against Erik "El Terrible" Morales which Pacquiao lost by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena last March 19.

Murad accused Roach of making statements aimed at discrediting him which Murad said was "a smokescreen to hide his own failures just like the issue about the gloves." Murad said that even former undisputed lightheavyweight and WBA heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr had said the gloves didn’t make a difference and Pacquiao was not disadvantaged by using the much more expensive "Winning" gloves from Japan instead of the "Cleto Reyes" gloves from Mexico which were preferred by Morales. Murad said "speed and timing" were the key to scoring a knockout and used such greats as Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson to prove his point. Murad disclosed that despite using the better padded Winning gloves Pacquiao’s left hand was swollen even on the day after the fight. He also said that Morales had Pacquiao "in trouble at least twice during the fight and only the courageous heart of Pacquiao helped him through. It is quite possible that if Morales wore Reyes gloves, Pacquiao may have been knocked out."

Murad tore into Roach for "the worst corner ever" in the Morales fight and accused Roach of not giving way to renowned cutman Lenny De Jesus to work on the nasty gash suffered by Pacquiao due to an accidental head-butt. Murad said De Jesus was "forced to work on the cut by leaning in and going around Filipino trainer Restituto "Buboy" Fernandez when Roach should have moved aside and given Lenny the center spot because it was a terrible cut." He noted that Roach and Finkel had earlier wanted De Jesus replaced by a cheap $1,000 cutman from Golden Boy Promotions who handle Marco Antonio Barrera.

Murad said knowledgeable boxing people noted that unlike in the past when Pacquiao pounced on his opponents with both fists blazing like he did against Barrera and WBA/IBF featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, he was "not throwing punches and was just running around" against Morales. "That’s not the way Manny fights" added Murad who also noted "nobody told Manny to go to the body" when Pacquiao hurt Morales with body shots. Murad charged that Pacquiao was "not trained properly for this fight" referring to some twenty, new-found hangers on who took away the fighter’s focus and the hundreds who crowded Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and regrettably disrupted Pacquiao’s training and his concentration.

Murad referred to a report by journalist Recah Trinidad that said the driver of Pacquiao had a cold and cough virus but continued to drive for Pacquiao including the trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas with the fighter seated next to him. He revealed that even as Pacquiao was preparing to leave for the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the fight there were some thirty people in his suite with requests for Pacquiao to pose for pictures and to even sign autographs. "Would you believe that Roach himself was bringing in people to have gloves autographed. What kind of trainer would do such a stupid thing just when a fighter is preparing for the biggest fight of his career?" Murad also took issue with Roach’s strategy of having Pacquiao spar some 160 rounds, often against heavier opponents. "Manny kept fighting big guys and knocking them down. He left his fight in the gym."

Murad claimed that in the past both he and business manager Rod Nazario had offered to have Pacquiao live in a nice apartment but he had refused, saying that Vagabond Inn was "lucky." Murad said "the kid was superstitous" but this time was taken out of there by his new management team. Murad said "if this continues we are not going anywhere. Manny fought with all his heart but he was a victim. He needs a new trainer."

Murad accused Roach of "tortuous interference" with his promotional contract based on Roach’s claim that he negotiated the fight deal with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and that Arum had agreed to pay Pacquiao 40 percent of the upside on the pay-per-view telecast which was the same percentage going to Morales with the remaining 20 percent going to Arum. Murad noted that under this announced scheme he would get nothing as co-promoter from the PPV which he branded as "ludicruous" which is what Murad said about the claim that he pocketed Pacquiao’s 40 percent and was "counting his money in his suite" according to Roach while he and Finkel were having Pacquiao’s cut attended to at the emergency room of Valley Hospital. Even on the issue of the suite, Murad was charged with grabbing the suite reserved for Pacquiao. Murad said "I have been given this suite by MGM Grand for the past decade. Where was Pacquiao ten years ago?" He said everything being done was designed to "confuse Pacquiao" and to turn him against those who have stood by him with loyalty, affection and integrity for the past ten years.

Murad said "the question that needs to be asked is where is the $3 or $4 million promised Pacquiao to sign the new contract" They are now talking of suing Murad for the alleged share of Pacquiao from the income on the Pay-per-View. But Murad said " they’ll have to sue HBO and Bob Arum because they handled it, before getting to Murad." Murad blasted the claim that Pacquiao’s purse was $2.8 million saying the Internal Revenue Service took thirty percent or $525,000 from Pacquiao’s purse which was confirmed by Finkel and Arum as correct. Murad said :"the IRS knew the numbers and there is no way we would even try to fool them."

Claims that business manager Rod Nazario had not paid Pacquiao’s taxes on previous fights was also shot down by Nazario who clarified that Pacquiao’s purse was deposited in the Los Angeles based Philippine Boxing, a corporation in which Pacquiao was a partner and all taxes were paid annually.