Manny in biggest fight of his life

NEW YORK — In what is shaping up to be the biggest fight in his life, three-time world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is prepared to battle to the finish as he pursues a $33 Million suit against New Jersey promoter Murad Muhammad in court here.

It’s almost like Pacquiao is training for Marco Antonio Barrera or Erik Morales. His undivided attention is focused on the trial that started last Monday and is expected to end with a jury’s verdict before July 4. He’s not thinking of anything other than the case. He realizes his future isn’t the only thing at stake.

If Pacquiao wins, the victory won’t be his alone. The case is the first test of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act to be decided by a jury and Pacquiao hopes a favorable decision will set a precedent for other fighters to seek justice from the court if they are prejudiced by promoters or managers.

The Reform Act stipulates full disclosure of terms and conditions to a fighter by the promoter and his manager on his bouts.

In his suit, Pacquiao has accused Muhammad of violating the terms of the Reform Act, aiding and abetting violations of fiduciary duties by his manager and breach of contract. Muhammad’s lawyer Julian Friedman has denied the allegations and said Pacquiao "was victimized by a scheme conducted by more sophisticated people" to wrest his promotional rights from the former Muhammad Ali bodyguard.

Pacquiao and friend Joseph Ramos, a Filipino living in Los Angeles, arrived here last June 13. They left Manila the day before and spent a night in Los Angeles before taking the flight to the East Coast.

Since his arrival in the Big Apple, Pacquiao has spent countless hours in a series of meetings with his legal team headed by co-counsels Judd Burstein and Keith Davidson. His deposition was taken by Friedman in his Park Avenue office in a pair of two-hour sessions last June 14 and 16.

Pacquiao, Ramos, Davidson, trainer Freddie Roach and Los Angeles lawyer Nicholas Khan stayed in a Bergen County home in New Jersey for a week before checking in at the Roger Williams Hotel in Manhattan last June 19.

The only break Pacquiao enjoyed was when his wife Jinkee’s uncle Jude de Castro, a New Jersey resident, took him to Atlantic City for a brief tour last week. Otherwise, it’s been one meeting after another in Burstein’s 15th floor office in a Broadway skyscraper.

Pacquiao wasn’t even able to fetch his wife who arrived on a Northwest flight from Manila via Tokyo at the JFK Airport last Sunday. De Castro picked up Jinkee who was immediately taken to the Burstein office to be with her husband.

On Father’s Day–which was last Sunday, Pacquiao was locked in a room in Burstein’s office to review documents, suggest pointers and listen to arguments that will be presented at the trial. That night, he had dinner in a restaurant near his hotel with Jinkee, Ramos and wife Joanna, Davidson and Khan and his girlfriend Mandy. The group turned in early as the call time for the first day of trial the next day was 8:30 a.m.

The Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse is an imposing building on 500 Pearl Street near the Foley Square in downtown Manhattan. That is where federal judge Loretta Preska is presiding at the jury trial in Suite 12-A on the 12th floor.

Security is tight in the building. Visitors are required to turn in their cellphones, video recorders and cameras before being allowed inside. A security check is done on all belongings like in an airport.

There are no restrictions as to who may witness the trial proceedings. The courtroom is large, easily four times the size of a typical Sandiganbayan courtroom in Manila. Eight pews with space for six persons each are in the gallery section for the public, four on each side. Two pews, also for six apiece, are in the back of the room. Inside the section for the opposing lawyers and jury are individual seats. The jury of eight is seated to the judge’s left. A stenographer and three staffers are immediately below the judge’s table which is on a high platform. Burstein, Pacquiao, his interpreter Ramos and lawyers Mike Quinn and Josh Dubin are in the front row facing the judge. In the second row are Muhammad, Friedman and three female lawyers.

The jury was selected on the first day of trial. The process took about an hour and a half. After a lunch break from 1 to 2:30 p.m., the opposing lawyers delivered their opening statements. Burstein spoke for about 45 minutes followed by Friedman, for about 25. Then the first witness, HBO Sports senior vice president Kery Davis, was called to the stand for interrogation and cross-examination.