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HE’S a
warrior inside the ring. But is Manny Pacquiao brave
enough to crack the whip on shady sycophants?
The
answer could be “no” as Pacquiao, said to be generous to
a fault, may not be about ready to kick out so-called
friends.
This,
despite reports that a few of them have already pocketed
millions at the height of Pacquiao’s campaign for a seat
in the House of Representatives.
Pacquiao
eventually lost to incumbent Rep. Darlene
Antonino-Custodio, who will now serve a third and last
term in Congress.
But
personalities who are taking advantage of Pacquiao’s
kindness are said to be wary of Jinky, Pacquiao’s wife,
who would rather see these personalities be shipped out
than give them a chance to shape up.
“What
happened during the elections really irked Jinky. Though
she was supportive of Manny’s desire of serving [his]
constituents, she couldn’t take how the money was spent
for the campaign,” said a source close to the Pacquiao
family.
Jinky’s
patience allegedly thinned when she learned that
Pacquiao entrusted P20 million to a political associate
who was supposed to finance their backers and watchers
in South Cotabato.
As much
as he wanted to admonish the now “distrusted ally,”
Pacquiao apparently didn’t heed to better judgment.
Pacquiao
easily lost as much as P70 million in personal money for
his failed political bid as he got little financial help
from his political party, Kampi.
Jinky
will be with her husband and their two kids, who have
already booked first-class tickets to
New York
this week. Pacquiao will stay in the
US to treat his family to a much-needed break.
The
28-year-old, two-division world champion will also be in
New York to receive his Edward J. Neil trophy as 2006
Fighter of the Year from the prestigious Boxing Writers
Association of America.
The
annual awards night is scheduled on June 8 at the
Copacabana in New York.
It will
actually be a busy week for Pacquiao in the Big Apple,
as he will be at ringside to watch younger brother Bobby
engage Mexican toughie Humberto Soto in a nontitle fight
on June 9 at the Madison Square Garden.
No
marquee fight yet
Pacquiao
will meet Top Rank big boss Bob Arum during his US jaunt
to finalize his next outing tentatively set for
September.
Arum has
said he has ongoing talks with the camps of former world
champion Marco Antonio Barrera of
Mexico,
current World Boxing Organization super-featherweight
champion Joan Guzman of the Dominican Republic and World
Boxing Association ruler Edwin Valero of
Venezuela.
There
are doubts, however, that Pacquiao will get another
marquee fight in September as those mentioned by Arum
are exclusively fighting under Golden Boy Promotions (GBP)
owned by Arum’s former ward and now bitter promotional
rival Oscar de la Hoya.
The Team
Pacquiao insider revealed that one of Arum’s associates
is said to be actively pushing for a bout against either
International Boxing Federation (IBF) 130-lb champion
Mzonke Fana, or IBF featherweight kingpin Robert “the
Ghost” Guerrero.
GBP and
Top Rank Inc. are in the middle of a bitter legal
dispute regarding the promotional rights to Pacquiao
after the boxing icon signed two identical promotional
deals with both outfits. |
