Finkel sees Pacman tug-of-war

LOS ANGELES — Don’t expect Golden Boy to take things sitting down.

"There’ll be lawsuits coming," said Shelly Finkel, the American manager of Manny Pacquiao, the day after the Filipino ring icon demolished Erik Morales in Las Vegas.

Finkel said Pacquiao signing a four-year contract with Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions very recently should invite lawsuits from Oscar dela Hoya, owner of Golden Boy Promotions.

Pacquiao also signed a seven-fight contract with Golden Boy last September, but a few days ago renounced the contract, and in fact returned the $500,000 that went with the signing.

Dela Hoya, a source said, has shipped the money back to Pacquiao together with all the paper works. Returning the money may be considered an early form of resistance from Golden Boy.

"Why would he accept it back?" the source said.

Pacquiao and Dela Hoya signed the contract in a Los Angeles restaurant midnight of Sept. 19, barely hours after the world’s most exciting fighter got off a long 12-hour flight from Manila.

Another source said Arum had wanted to meet Pacquiao that same night, but the legendary promoter did not persist, knowing the fighter was tired and should be given time to rest.

Finkel, who started managing Pacquiao’s career shortly before the first fight with Morales in March last year, said he doesn’t expect Dela Hoya to sue Pacquiao.

Instead, the unpretentious manager who’s been in the business for 20 years now said the coming legal battle might be a heads-on showdown between Arum and Dela Hoya.

Finkel said Pacquiao doesn’t need any of these. He added that he would try his best to get Pacquiao out of this mess, like the way he’d done early in his relationship with Pinoy boxer.

"Pacquiao should be on top of the world right now. He doesn’t need other issues," Finkel told Filipino scribes in chance interview at the Wynn Hotel casino area.

"He should enjoy this victory before even thinking of his next fight," added Finkel, saying that Marco Antonio Barrera, and not anyone else, is the logical choice as Pacquiao’s next opponent.

It was reported the other day that Top Rank is eyeing a Pacquiao fight at Wynn Hotel in Macau sometime in March or April next year. And it won’t be against Barrera.

Barrera, who absorbed an 11-round beating from Pacquiao in 2003, is the reigning World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion, and has challenged Pacquiao to a rematch on March 11.

If the Barrera fight pushes through, Pacquiao is bound to receive much more than the $3 million he got for his third and final bout with Morales.

Barrera is reportedly eyeing a $3 million purse against Pacquiao. While others say it might be too big for the Mexican assassin, Finkel said it’s quite workable.

"Barrera can get $3 million as long as Pacquiao gets more," said Finkel, whose managerial contract with the hard-hitting southpaw expires in January of 2007.

"I’d be hoping to stay on and do my best for Manny — the way I’ve always done my best for him ," he said.