Rod Nazario, Pacquiao’s burly business manager for the last 10 years, yesterday said he’s had enough with the string of controversies which had put him and even his family in a very bad light.
Asked if he still considers himself as Pacquiao’s business manager, Nazario had a straight-forward answer.
"No. Matagal nang hindi," he said, adding that he’s not even talked to Pacquiao, either in person or by telephone, since they met on the last week of April or a month after the Filipino boxer lost to Mexico’s Erik Morales in Las Vegas.
"Hindi na kami nagkita or nag-usap man lang magmula noon. Kung ayaw niya tumawag, eh ako pa ba ang tatawag sa kanya," Nazario told a couple of scribes.
Since that painful 12-round loss to the crafty Mexican boxer, a lot of things have happened within the Pacquiao camp now being run by Americans — from the manager to lawyers and down to the trainer.
"This group has poisoned Pacquiao’s mind. They’ve made Pacquiao believe that he’s being fooled by Muhammad or by me. The worst part is Pacquiao believed in them," said Nazario.
"Na madaming pera ang dapat napunta sa kanya pero sa iba napunta," added Nazario, referring to a big part of Pacquiao’s purse in at least six fights in the US since 2000.
"At ganito daw kalaki ang napunta kay Murad. Or ganitong kalaki ang napunta sa akin," said Nazario who showed The STAR xerox copies of his dealings with Pacquiao, in dollars, which they both signed.
"So papano nila sasabihing malaking pera ang nawawala kay Pacquiao eh pirmado lahat ng gastusin niya right from the start. From the purse up to the hotel bills and even his cash advances," Nazario explained.
The latest accusation that was hurled was that Pacquiao was robbed of more than $7 million since his first fight in the US, and that these or some of these were allegedly deposited in Nazario’s account.
"They can check my dollar deposits which has no more than $48,000 in it or any other account, probably that of the Philippine Boxing. No such amount has ever entered that account. At saan naman puwede manggaling ang seven or eight million dollars na nawawala? Eh hindi naman si Lennox Lewis o kaya Mike Tyson si Pacquiao," Nazario said.
The controversies led to a $33 million court case filed by Pacquiao against Muhammad in the US. But an out-of-court settlement was reached the other day with Pacquiao finally getting rid of the flamboyant New Jersey promoter.
The last time they met, Nazario asked Pacquiao to choose between him or his "new set of American friends."
Obviously, Pacquiao has chosen the latter. And there goes Nazario.