MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach yesterday said Manny Pacquiao’s problem with the Bureau of Internal Revenue won’t be a distraction in their preparation for the Filipino icon’s fight with Timothy Bradley on June 9 in Las Vegas.
Speaking to ringtv.com, Roach just brushed off his ward’s latest legal trouble, saying Pacquiao has personally assured him that everything will be fine in the lead-up to the Bradley fight.
“I just think that his political people are saying that there are problems, but that’s just how politics are. I don’t think that there is a tax problem,” the bespectacled trainer told ringtv.com’s Lem Satterfield.
The BIR had filed contempt charges against Pacquiao for failing to present his tax records to the agency.
Pacquiao, however, branded the case as “baseless” and dismissed it as a form of harassment, even vowing to sue several BIR officials for violating Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act).
Roach added that Pacquiao’s newfound dedication to the Bible will work to their advantage.
“I’ve talked to Manny. There won’t be any distractions. He said that he’s going to stay out of the bars and the clubs. He’s going to stay away from the gambling,” he said.
“Everything that he says that he’s going to do will make it easier for me. The part where he said God and boxing might not go together, he told me that he knows that God understands that it’s a sport,” Roach continued.
Pacquiao (54-3-2, with 38 KOs) will put his WBO welterweight title on the line against the undefeated Bradley (28-0, with 12 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
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