Manny Page #3

didn't have a challenger

for a fight at the MGM Grand.

It was two weeks before the fight.

They went up and down the rankings,

and they couldn't find anybody

in the top five

who wanted to take on Ledwaba

on short notice.

Then they went to number six.

The name was Manny Pacquiao.

COMMENTATOR:
Tale ofthe Tape,

Lehlohonolo Ledwaba against

Manny Packai... Pacquiao,

I'll get it right, Pacquiao.

FREDDlE:
We're such big underdogs.

It's like a 44-1 shot.

And people said, "Ledwaba

is the most feared

22 pounder in the world from

South Africa, he's a killer."

But, I knew I had something special.

l didn't know how special but,

the thing is,

l knew he could really fight.

COMMENTATOR 1 :
Boom!

I think this guy just hit so hard,

that Ledwaba is totally

on the defensive.

He took this fight on

only two weeks notice,

only came here to America,

ten days ago,

and he is banging Ledwaba

right now.

And another, big right hand upstairs.

And now he's got Ledwaba

bleeding badly.

COMMENTATOR 2:
There's a weariness

and almost

a resignation in his eyes of Ledwaba

COMMENTATOR 1 :
That's a TKO victory

for a very impressive, Manny Pacquiao.

COMMENTATOR 2:
I have never seen him

and frankly, I've never heard of him.

But, I've seen and heard of him now.

COMMENTATOR 1 :
You want

to see him again.

COMMENTATOR 2:
I want

to see him again.

COMMENTATOR 1 :
I do, too.

FREDDIE:
When I tell all these sports

guys about how good Manny is,

and I say, "Watch him, he's going to

beat Ledwaba",

then people started believing in

Manny Pacquiao.

So, we're in Texas.

And we had a really good

training camp over there.

At the weigh in, there's a pool table.

So, Manny set up this shot,

it was six balls,

he's going to sink six balls

in one shot.

First try, they all went in.

l called up my friend

and l say, "Make the bet."

Bet Pacquiao by knockout.

COMMENTATOR 1 :
I wouldn't send him

out for the 1 2th round, Manny.

I don't care how proud he is.

There's no way a great fighter should

have to go through

3 more minutes of this.

COMMENTATOR 2:
Well, Pacquiao

is not backing off.

COMMENTATOR 1 :
He's getting hurt.

Here comes Barrera's corner.

Barrera's corner man is up

on the apron.

He's going to step into the ring.

That's a good decision.

Finally, they could've done that

two rounds ago.

COMMENTATOR 2:

A great finish by Pacquiao.

A valiant effort by Barrera.

COMMENTATOR 1 :
It sets Pacquiao up

for some huge

fights and big money in the future.

Good, it's reported that of

the $700,000 purse

that was directed toward

Pacquiao tonight,

he himself is only

going to get 300 grand out of it.

So he deserves the chance

to make big money in the future.

COMMENTATOR 2:
He's going

to make a lot of big money

as a result

of this performance tonight.

COMMENTATOR 1 :
A superstar

emerges in San Antonio.

Filipino star Manny Pacquiao.

FREDDlE:
Manny really

changed my life also, because

l was content with him knocking

people out with the big left hand.

But then we fought Morales.

COMMENTATOR 1 :
Pacquiao's trainer

Freddie Roach says,

"He's been too left hand dominant.

"To beat Morales, he'll have

to use his lead hand,

his right hand, more and better."

Morales very weary about

Pacquiao's left hand power.

And I think it's clear right now

Manny Pacquiao isn't going to deck

rik Morales with one big shot.

-Great right hand lead.

-COMMENTATOR 2:
Oh!

COMMENTATOR 1 :
Wow, does Pacquiao hit!

FREDDlE:
When we lost to Morales,

I said, "You know what,

"l can't be satisfied with

what l have here.

l got to do a better job, l got to

make him a more complete fighter."

l said, "l'm not going to stop working

on the right hand

until it's as good as the left."

He had no idea what I was up to.

Finally I said, "Manny, I'm just

working on getting you confidence,

in both hands."

And he just smiled at me

and, you know,

he just continued working,

and he knocked a guy out with

a hook for the first time,

I said, "We're here."

[GRUNTS]

COMMENTATOR:
Right hand by Pacquiao

drives Morales back.

Another right. He's been so good

with the right hand tonight.

Great victory for Pacquiao.

[SCREAMlNG]

[ALL SlNGlNG] Happy Birthday to you

[ALL CHEERlNG]

COMMENTATOR:
Extremely effective

against Jorge Solis.

[CROWD CHEERlNG]

COMMENTATOR:
Knocked out ofthe fight

by Pacquiao.

ANNOUNCER:
The winner by

knockout victory,

the fighting pride of the Philippines,

Manny...

Pacman...

Pacquiao!

JOSHUA:
There were large

chunks of money,

that HBO is paying us a licensing fee

for a fight.

ln some instances, less than half

went to Manny Pacquiao.

Murad Muhammad

and his promotional company M & M

had entered into this secret agreement

with Pacquiao's managers.

At the time, the Nazarios.

He was funneling money

to a company.

Money that rightfully should've gone

to Manny Pacquiao, to the manager,

so you stop right there, and you say,

"Why is the promoter ever sharing

money with the manager?"

Especially without the fighter

knowing about it.

This is the Ali Act.

"Firewall between promoters

and managers.

"lt is unlawful for

a promoter to have a direct

or indirect financial interest in

the management of a boxer."

So, he tried to claim

that the Nazarios weren't really

Manny Pacquiao's manager.

That they were somehow

his co-promoter,

which would've made it okay for him

to share money with them.

There's no central agency

regulating this.

What other sport do you have where

a guy every second of every round

is risking his life, literally.

Putting it all on the line

and why shouldn't he get

every cent that he's owed?

THOMAS:
A promoter's job is to make

as much

money as the promoter can for himself.

A promoter wants to make money.

That's why they're in business.

But it's the fighter's job,

to have the proper

business representatives

to negotiate with the promoter.

Certainly Bob Arum has done

a wonderful job

of building Manny Pacquiao

as a commercial attraction.

But, no promoter is Mother Teresa.

Golden Boy certainly

isn't Mother Teresa.

Don King isn't, Lou DiBella isn't,

Bob Arum isn't.

That comes with the territory.

l was spoiled

when l started promoting.

Because I started with Muhammad Ali.

As I spent more time

in the business,

I had attractions who

weren't Muhammad Ali.

And, therefore, I had to take

a larger role to bring attention

to the product that I was selling.

BERT:
No matter what you say

about promoters,

good, bad or indifferent,

I'm sure Bob himself has heard bad.

But they have an eye for talent.

Bob Arum has become and has remained

one of the major forces in the sport.

Longer than almost any promoter

or anybody.

Because he has an eye for talent.

That's what gives us great fights.

Freddie!

How you doing?

You drive up?

No, we flew.

You know, Bob Arum, he's...

He's a character, of course,

first of all.

l fought for Bob for nine years,

so l know him well.

Everything good here?

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