After Manny Pacquiao was knocked out Saturday night by Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao’s entourage took some swings of their own.
Pacquiao advisor Michael Koncz and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez punched and kicked photographer Al Bello as he was trying to take pictures of Pacquiao face down on the canvas, Bello told Yahoo!. Bello leapt off the apron to avoid being injured.
“Had I not gotten off the ring, I have no doubt the two of them would have beaten the [expletive] out of me and I might have been seriously hurt,” Bello told the site.
Fernandez actually went through the ropes after Bello after he jumped down from the ring. Fernandez was on the ground crying when he saw Bello snapping pictures of the knocked-cold Pacquiao. Yahoo! has photographic evidence of the assault.
Koncz texted Yahoo!: “Not an assault just a miss understanding in the heat of the moment.” When told of the photographs of the incident, Koncz stopped responding. Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer said he would review the incident and consider penalties against Koncz and Fernandez. Kizer recommended Bello call the police when he learned of the incident.
Bello said the events all unfolded when Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach asked him not to shoot. He said that caught the attention of Koncz and Fernandez, enraging them. Bello said Roach never put a hand on him and actually later apologized for asking him not to take pictures.
“Nobody likes doing that, but I was where I was credentialed to be and I was trying to do my job, which is to document the event,” Bello said. “It’s no different than the war photographers who have to shoot what is happening on a battlefield. Nobody wants to do that, but you have to document the history.
“I’ve been a fan of Manny and I have shot a lot of his fights. I watched all the ’24/7s’ [on HBO], but what happened here was not right.”
Bello said he did not call the police and only wants an apology from the two.