BY RONNIE NATHANIELSZ

WORLD Boxing Council founding secretary-general, the eminent lawyer Rudy Salud, who is steeped in sports, as well as in law given his vast experience holding key positions in both amateur and professional boxing, basketball, horseracing and even cockfighting, has rightfully questioned the inordinate delay of the United States courts in deciding on the contractual dispute between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank Promotions on the promotional rights to Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao.

It seems to us—as it does to many, based on the information available from both sides—that it isn’t as complicated as the delay seems to suggest, unless there is something that actually transpired of which the public knows nothing about.

As we understand the facts, Pacquiao, in the presence of his lawyer Franklin “Jeng” Gacal, signed a seven-fight contract with Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions in mid-September shortly after his arrival in Los Angeles to step up preparations for his rematch with Erik “El Terrible” Morales. Top Rank’s Bob Arum immediately claimed that the contract for the Morales rematch, included a clause which prevented Pacquiao from signing a contract with any other promoter until after the fight. Arum said Gacal went over that clause and the contract with a fine tooth comb before Pacquiao signed it. Interestingly, when we checked with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, there was no such prohibition included in the bout contract.

Two months later, Arum had Pacquiao sign a four-fight deal, again in the presence of Gacal, which immediately led to Golden Boy suing Arum for tortuous interference, in a Los Angeles court. Arum, on the other hand, asked a Las Vegas court to rule on which promotional outfit, based on the contracts and the evidence available, had the right to Pacquiao. Arum also claimed that Pacquiao was tired after a long flight from Manila and in addition, was induced into signing the De la Hoya contract after being shown a suitcase of dollar bills amounting to $250,000. The chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer said there was nothing irregular or illegal in what they did while celebrated trainer Freddie Roach said Pacquiao himself had asked to be paid in cash.

What bothers Salud is that the courts, by failing to decide up to now, have allowed Pacquiao, who signed two contracts in the presence of his lawyer and took a total of $500,000 from De la Hoya and $1 million from Arum, is still being allowed to fight without any restrictions whatsoever as though his actions, which to most people appear irregular at the very least, didn’t matter. Salud said Pacquiao seems to be getting off scot-free and in the process sending a wrong message that it’s all right to sign one contract today and accept payment and then turn around two months later and sign another contract basically for the same service or product and once again take the money.

But what galls Salud as well as us is the fact that the Americans have this condescending propensity to criticize the Philippines for the slow pace of justice among many other things when their own courts are taking ages to decide on what appears to be a rather simple issue.

As for Pacquiao, it doesn’t help any that after ignoring the people of Makati and other cities around Manila in a motorcade following his victory over the unknown and overhyped Jorge Solis, he returned to Makati for a motorcade campaigning for Senator Lito Lapid of Pampanga, who most people believe hasn’t a ghost of a chance against incumbent Jejomar Binay.

Simply put, the people of Makati were bypassed during his victory motorcade but now, after what amounted to a slap in their collective faces, Pacquiao wants them to vote for Lapid, the candidate he endorses. We wonder who Pacquiao’s advisers are because they are helping him lose friends in a hurry.