By Hermie Rivera

“The fight racket (boxing) since its rotten beginnings has always been the red light district of sports.” —Jimmy Cannon

AN ugly war continues.

We aren’t talking here of Manny Pacquiao’s impending rumble with Erik Morales in their third 12-round encounter at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas Nov. l8.

It’s about the Filipino ring idol’s conflict with his handlers who see dollar signs dancing on the boxer’s head any time of day or night.

While Manny’s latest crop of managers have disappeared, (duck hunting?) two of his erstwhile promoters are angling for employment possibilities.

And, like all boxing denizens out to strike gold while the “iron is hot,” these operators lulled themselves into thinking that they could get away with any type of larceny—forgetting that somewhere are crusaders opposed to all forms of fistic chicanery.

Despite blatant raids on his treasury, Manny will continue to prosper unless he does something incredibly stupid that could set him in a trap by subordinates out to ruin him financially.

As for his peripatetic handlers led by Shelly Finkel, Nick Khan and Keith Davidson—perhaps we can oblige them for an iota of transparency since no one who’s outside the loop knows about the service they provided Manny for the $400,000 they took home from his fight with Oscar Larios.

And that doesn’t begin to touch the fees they treated themselves to—from the past Morales fights, the Hector Velazquez fight and the mother of all scores—-Pacquiao-Morales III.

Since Manny Pacquiao was a bona fide star before Finkel, Khan and Davidson, all three Morales fights were in place with Bob Arum’s Top Rank—long before the Filipino superman was even a gleam in the new management’s eyes.

So, it is a waste, seeing 20-25 percent of Pacquiao’s purses ending up as handler’s cuts—not to mention the quarter-million “greenbucks” pocketed by that lucky “son-of-a-gun” who posed as promoter of the January “tumble at the center.”

I gather that some $250,000 changed hands in that iniquitous deal.

Guess who footed the bill?

Keep in mind that this intrepid trio engineered the greatest escape act since Harry Houdini—a flick of the finger and voila! ex-Muhammad Ali bodyguard Murad Muhammad and former business manager Rod Nazario (remember him?) vanished from the Pacman’s radar screens.

Out of sight—out of mind— yeah—for the twosome once deemed untouchables at Manny’s Eden.

Enter, Bob Arum, who has delivered a multimillion-dollar package with humongous extras thrown in as bonuses for the “main eventers.”

But let’s pause and avail of the rest period between rounds so I can, if I may, remind everyone of a firewall that’s etched in the Ali Reform Boxing Act: barring promoters from having a direct or indirect financial interest in the management of a boxer—the proviso inversely applies to managers.

Manny’s clash with Erik in their year-ending “physical debate” as Recah Trinidad asserts in his Pacquiao tome—Pacific Storm— might be the last fight of the Filipino hero prior to his entry into a deadlier combat—politics.

Hello Hizzoner Lito! Welcome Wakee!

Manny Pacquiao is about to become a free agent again and his confidant Rex “Wakee” Salud is moving fast to deliver our icon to Bob Arum who also promotes El Mexicano from Tijuana.

Now Bob, who’s coming in as Manny’s designated promoter in your Grand Finale?

No more miscues—else—you’ll run into Yogi Berra wandering around Ed Wynn’s fabulous digs with his immortal de já vu all over again?

The 1993 Team Terrible, featuring the father and son tandem of three-time world champion Erik Morales was one of boxing’s storied ensembles of the late nineties.

The engaging Tijuana bunch did well in ambushing boxing’s elite in their 13-year run, amassing three world title belts replete with millions of US bank notes that invariably went to the bank of d’winnah.

A bond of filial loyalty flourished in the closely knit group with the nucleus staying intact until the hard-punching Mexicano went loco by firing his father Jose, a credible mentor in their halcyon days.

It was a costly blunder made by the multi-titled champ, coming as it did when Erik dealt Manny Pacquiao a nasty beating in their first meeting at the MGM Grand.

In the rematch, Morales suffered his first knockout in 52 fights, a 10th round stoppage by Pacquiao who was devastatingly hot in that cold January night.

That was then.

Now, Daddy is back and son Erik is insisting on a win that could close out the Pacquiao-Morales historied rivalry.

The Filipino ring marvel says he’ll be at the Thomas and Mack Center (scene of their earlier carnage) to personally hand Morales his retirement papers after he does a repeat-thrashing of the gutsy Mexican.

Morales’ forced retreat to a secluded barrio could happen if he fails in his crucial November bid against our champ who continue to excel over all of the other ring standouts to include Rocky Juarez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera.

Why is the Cotabato Marvel hell-bent in sending the Tijuana Warrior to an early pasture?

This has got to do, I guess with Pac Man’s planned jump to a political ring, a risky move away from the roped square where he reigns supreme.

Now, to the hottest query I get these days as to who of the two great talents gets ticketed early out of the hunt?

“The guy who can’t put together in one package– speed, grace and power,” Eddie Futch– trainer par excellence.

While Manny is an excellent fighter, his poise gets skewed during fierce exchanges–thus accounting for such ungraceful demeanor in a given setting.

But he can punch faster and decidedly harder than any of the mittslingers seeing action in his preferred weight class.

Morales counters with a guarantee of an all out, hand-to-hand fracas that’ll not only bring closure to his bloody battle with the GenSan superman but of untold riches as well.

Aah, such braggadocio.

Generally viewed as a fight that compels fans to pick a winner, I am declining to predict how this stirring rematch will play out knowing that a wrong pick would be calamitous– if you dig what I mean.

But really, the impending fistic war, rife with unrelenting power punching between two brave braggarts could rival the intensity of the hostile strife currently plaguing Israel and Lebanon.

Finally, will Pac Man’s belligerent subalterns stop raiding his coffers and observe a moment of truce as intermediaries (well-intentioned if you please) try to end the war for control of Pacquiao’s fortune?

Stay tuned.