MANILA, 9 August — It’s kiss and make-up for world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and his estranged manager.
"I want to concentrate on my training," said Pacquiao, who found himself at the center of opposing parties — his manager, Marty Elorde, and business agent, Rod Nazario — battling for control of his business affairs.
Pacquiao will have his mandatory title defense against Thai Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym on Sept. 21 possibly in Davao City.
"I hope everything will be back to normal because this team (Pacquiao, Elorde and Nazario) has been very successful. I don’t want to see it crumble," said Pacquiao, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light featherweight titlist.
He assured Elorde that he would honor his contract with him until 2005 while reiterating he never fired his chief handler.
Elorde said he would now junked his plan to sue Pacquiao "for illegal dismissal."
"I will resume my duties as Manny’s business manager and make sure he knows what he’s getting into," said Elorde, the son of the legendary Gabriel "Flash" Elorde.
It was Gov. Manny Piñol of North Cotabato who brokered a reconciliation between Pacquiao and Elorde. Nazario, however, said he could not believe the reconciliation.
"It’s impossible," said Nazario.
Nazario insisted that Pacquiao "knows that he signed the document sacking Elorde (as his business manager)."
Pacquiao quoted Piñol as having told him, "Manny, be your own boss."
Piñol said that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has expressed willingness to stage Pacquiao’s mandatory title defense against Rakkiatgym. The fight could fetch Pacquiao no less than eight million pesos.
Pacquiao will have a tuneup fight this month before he defends his title, hopefully in September in Davao.
Nazario had said he and his ward were ready to fight Elorde in court.
He said it was Elorde who started the mess in Pacquiao’s camp. He said Elorde wrote a letter revoking Nazario’s position as Pacquiao’s other manager.
"It was supposed to be a tripartite agreement among Manny, Marty and me," said Nazario. "But last month, he wrote a letter revoking my authority over Manny. He did it first."
Elorde, on the other hand, said he has not seen Pacquiao’s contracts for his last two fights against Agapito Sanchez and Jorge Eliecer Julio.
Pacquiao’s purse for Sanchez was $120,000 and for Julio, $70,000. But Elorde said the purses were much more, hinting that brokers ate into Pacquiao’s take.
Pacquiao hired Elorde as his manager and signed a contract on Jan. 31, 2000. Both signed Nazario to a business agent’s pact that same day.
Elorde, financed by Japanese principals Masami Matsunaga and Kunio Takayanagi, became Pacquiao’s manager for 1 million pesos in signing bonus and a monthly salary of 10,000 pesos up to 2005. Pacquiao, in turn, signed Nazario as business manager with the exclusive authority to sign contracts on his behalf.
In a letter dated last July 5, Elorde’s lawyer Hector Rodriguez sent a notice of revocation to Nazario. Rodriguez accused Nazario of entering into contracts without Elorde’s prior approval and consent.
He said the contracts caused confusion and were prejudicial to Elorde and Pacquiao. A copy of Rodriguez’ letter was forwarded to the GAB which has jurisdiction in resolving issues of contractual dispute involving professional fighters.
There were reports the friction between the two managers started when Elorde tried to secure a fight contract with an American promoter on behalf of Pacquiao without Nazario’s knowledge.
Nazario, who claimed that Elorde was acting as a "dummy" of a Japanese promoter, expressed regret over what happened to the partnership which he described as a "very good champion’s team."
Nazario admitted that Pacquiao was very much affected by what’s happening "especially now that the champ is training for his next title defense." "Of course, when you are training and there’s something in your mind, that somehow affects you. But I advised him to forget about it and concentrate on his training," Nazario said.
Elorde said he would sue Pacquiao for damages arising from the boxer’s move to terminate Elorde’s services.
Elorde said he was saddened by Pacquiao’s move to terminate his services. "I know that he (Pacquiao) is a very good person," he said. "I’m sorry that it had come to this. But my lawyers said his letter has left us with no choice but to file charges."
Elorde said he had received only a faxed copy of the document terminating his services, but said the grounds Pacquiao cited for dismissing him "degraded me personally and professionally as a boxing manager."
Pacquiao, the only reigning Filipino world boxing champion, had said he fired Elorde "for negligence in the handling" of his career.
When asked if Nazario, had a hand in the case, Elorde said: "I don’t know. When Pacquiao fought (and won over South African Lehlohonolo) Lebwaba last year, we were together in the United States for more than a month." Elorde said he did not know why Pacquiao’s camp had not given him the original copy of the termination letter. He said he got a faxed copy of it from the games and Amusements Board.
"I know that deep in Manny’s heart he knows that I never neglected him and that I fulfilled my duties as his manager," Elorde said. "I know that this can be settled through a dialogue between us and I’m still open to that."
In a letter dated last July 12 and addressed to Villanueva, Pacquiao said he is terminating Elorde’s contract and appealed to the GAB to uphold the validity of the rescission as "I have to prepare for my (next) title defense and I need to be free from all mental anguish that an unwanted manager can bring." It was clear that Pacquiao had decided in Nazario’s favor.
