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Pacquiao "Free" as Muhammad Settles Out of Court
By Winchell C. Campos
mannypacquiao.ph
June 29, 2005
NEW YORK -- In less than two weeks, Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao sought and found Tuesday what he was looking for: Justice, Truth and Freedom, the American way!
Saying that there was no better feeling than becoming a "free man" once again, Pacquiao and his new team won by "technical knockout" over his estranged promoter Murad Muhammad of M&M Sports, who "threw in the towel" before an eight-man jury could issue a verdict in the landmark $33 million suit Pacquiao filed last April.
"This is a triumph for all of boxing," said Pacquiao, who thanked God, his family, lawyers and proponents of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which was laid out mainly to protect boxers from scheming managers and promoters. The Sen. John McCain-sponsored Act also enforced full disclosure of business deals.
With his wife Jinkee supporting him throughout the trial which started June 20, Pacquiao lauded the fast and expeditious manner by which Judge Loretta Preska presided over the case.
"Win or lose, I said to myself, I had to fight for what is right and what is mine. Thank God, we won and now, I can concentrate only on boxing. There is truly justice in this world," said Pacquiao, who immediately planed back to California with his wife, friend and interpreter Joseph Ramos and his wife Joanna.
"Everybody is happy. Murad Muhammad settled with Manny and gave him back his freedom. He also settled for an undisclosed amount to cover court fees," said lead lawyer Judd Burstein, who along with Pacquiao's lawyer-manager Keith Davidson, sealed any chance for Muhammad to get away with the pay-per-view proceeds from Pacquiao's last fight with Erik Morales, among others.
Muhammad's so-called air-tight promotional grip on Pacquiao, which started in 2001 has been voided. Also, M&M Sports also agreed to dismiss the suit it filed against Pacquiao's new management team which included Davidson, Shelly Finkel, Nicholas Khan and trainer Freddie Roach.
"This is very, very good. We are happy this is behind us. We told Manny that we're gonna get him out of this and we did. I guess, we go from there,' said Finkel, who is now arranging for a September fight date for Pacquiao against a soon-to-be-named opponent.
So damning were the evidence that Muhammad and his top-notch lawyer Julian W. Friedman tried to pass the blame on Pacquiao's Filipino business manager Rodolfo Nazario.
Pacquiao found out, through the course of the trial, that Nazario and Muhammad had secret sweetheart deals which cut his prize winnings drastically while Nazario and Muhammad went on a rampage. The trial also confirmed that Nazario and Muhammad were remiss in paying Pacquiao's taxes in the US, among many other revelations.
Nazario, who claimed to have nurtured and treated the 26-year-old General Santos native like a son, tried to deny these and even went ballistic on Pacquiao and his new team, showing his own version of legal documents.
Preska, of the Southern District Court of New York, ordered for an expedited jury trial and the select eight-man jury was expected to hand out a verdict before the 4th of July. Pacquiao arrived in New York last June 13 for the pre-trial deposition and marveled at how speedy the case was settled.
By Winchell C. Campos
mannypacquiao.ph
June 29, 2005
NEW YORK -- In less than two weeks, Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao sought and found Tuesday what he was looking for: Justice, Truth and Freedom, the American way!
Saying that there was no better feeling than becoming a "free man" once again, Pacquiao and his new team won by "technical knockout" over his estranged promoter Murad Muhammad of M&M Sports, who "threw in the towel" before an eight-man jury could issue a verdict in the landmark $33 million suit Pacquiao filed last April.
"This is a triumph for all of boxing," said Pacquiao, who thanked God, his family, lawyers and proponents of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which was laid out mainly to protect boxers from scheming managers and promoters. The Sen. John McCain-sponsored Act also enforced full disclosure of business deals.
With his wife Jinkee supporting him throughout the trial which started June 20, Pacquiao lauded the fast and expeditious manner by which Judge Loretta Preska presided over the case.
"Win or lose, I said to myself, I had to fight for what is right and what is mine. Thank God, we won and now, I can concentrate only on boxing. There is truly justice in this world," said Pacquiao, who immediately planed back to California with his wife, friend and interpreter Joseph Ramos and his wife Joanna.
"Everybody is happy. Murad Muhammad settled with Manny and gave him back his freedom. He also settled for an undisclosed amount to cover court fees," said lead lawyer Judd Burstein, who along with Pacquiao's lawyer-manager Keith Davidson, sealed any chance for Muhammad to get away with the pay-per-view proceeds from Pacquiao's last fight with Erik Morales, among others.
Muhammad's so-called air-tight promotional grip on Pacquiao, which started in 2001 has been voided. Also, M&M Sports also agreed to dismiss the suit it filed against Pacquiao's new management team which included Davidson, Shelly Finkel, Nicholas Khan and trainer Freddie Roach.
"This is very, very good. We are happy this is behind us. We told Manny that we're gonna get him out of this and we did. I guess, we go from there,' said Finkel, who is now arranging for a September fight date for Pacquiao against a soon-to-be-named opponent.
So damning were the evidence that Muhammad and his top-notch lawyer Julian W. Friedman tried to pass the blame on Pacquiao's Filipino business manager Rodolfo Nazario.
Pacquiao found out, through the course of the trial, that Nazario and Muhammad had secret sweetheart deals which cut his prize winnings drastically while Nazario and Muhammad went on a rampage. The trial also confirmed that Nazario and Muhammad were remiss in paying Pacquiao's taxes in the US, among many other revelations.
Nazario, who claimed to have nurtured and treated the 26-year-old General Santos native like a son, tried to deny these and even went ballistic on Pacquiao and his new team, showing his own version of legal documents.
Preska, of the Southern District Court of New York, ordered for an expedited jury trial and the select eight-man jury was expected to hand out a verdict before the 4th of July. Pacquiao arrived in New York last June 13 for the pre-trial deposition and marveled at how speedy the case was settled.
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