TREVOR ISBELL WRITES – With a dominating, unanimous decision victory over Brandon Rios, Manny Pacquiao gives life back to the Philippine Islands after enduring the devastating Typhoon Haiyan.
Pacquiao was able to land 223 of his 468 thrown punches, while Brandon Rios was only able to land 113 of his 263. Pacquiao’s superior agility and endurance allowed for him to throw almost twice as many punches, while keeping out of his opponent’s reach. With his career being heavily questioned prior to this fight, Pacquiao has seemingly reasserted his way back into the ring of boxing and remains a top contender.
Yet, it seems the clock may be about to strike midnight on this Cinderella story as all of Pacquiao’s bank accounts in the Philippines have been frozen due the government’s suspicion of possible tax evasion efforts back in 2008 and 2009. The freezing of his accounts are said to have left the boxing champion virtually paralyzed. Philippine authorities say that Pacquiao now owes the government 2.2 billion Pesos ($50.2 million) for these alleged, unpaid taxes and the ensuing interest.
Pacquiao claims that he did not have to pay the Philippine government taxes for those years because, at that time, he was in the United States and paying taxes there. The governments of the United States and the Philippines have an agreement that allows for citizens such as Pacquiao to avoid double taxation. However, the Philippine government is demanding proof that Pacquiao did in fact pay taxes in the United States for the years of 2008 and 2009.
As a member of the main opposition alliance to President Benigno Aquino, Pacquiao feels these issues may be politically motivated, and is calling for those accusing him to, “stop playing politics.” Just as Pacquiao’s career gets back on track to finally scheduling the long-awaited matchup between him and Floyd Mayweather, another obstacle presents a possible abrupt ending to the colorful career of Manny Pacquiao.