Although Pacquiao has apparently shed the hard-core gamblers who once surrounded him, a new group is draining the coffers. Pastors and other religious types have thoroughly ingratiated themselves, and Manny is said to have given heaps of cash for ministries and infrastructure projects related to their churches. He also foots the bill for the printing of thousands of bibles and the holding of massive religious rallies in expensive stadiums.
Yet Pacquiao’s biggest single expense is his political career. He spent an estimated $6.6 million on his successful 2010 campaign to become the congressional representative of the district of Sarangani. In the latest election, which closed last week, Manny ran unopposed and consequently spent considerably less. Even so, wife Jinkee and brother Rogelio also ran for office (Jinkee won; Rogelio lost), and it cost Pacquiao approximately $2 million to finance the campaigns.
“Manny has clearly lost the zeal for boxing that he once had,” Lerner said. “Before, he used to fight for the love of fighting, and the money seemed secondary. Now he is obviously fighting for only one reason: money.”
The amount of money Pacquiao makes during the balance of his career depends largely on what happens against Rios on Nov. 24 in Macau. An impressive win would reinvigorate his career, at least for the foreseeable future. Anything less would only hasten the end. Roach has said that if the Rios fight turns out to be another defeat, Manny should retire. Whether the fighter would comply is something else altogether. For as long as Pacquiao can climb the ring steps, there is money to be made.
A match with the winner of Juan Manuel Marquez-Timothy Bradley Jr. would be a natural, especially if Pacquiao’s performance against Rios is sufficiently encouraging. There is also Rios’ conqueror, Mike Alvarado, who would gladly move up to welterweight for a Pacquiao-size payday. If there were a miraculous cease-fire between Golden Boy and Top Rank, you could also throw Amir Khan, Danny Garcia and the winner of Saturday’s Lamont Peterson-Lucas Matthysse bout into the mix.
Even if Pacquiao loses to Rios and decides to fight on, plenty of lucrative options await him. In all likelihood, it’s way too soon for Little Gallego to start looking for a new job.
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