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Report: Manny Pacquiao was nearly assaulted exiting restaurant

Fighters Network
04
Apr
Manny Pacquiao pose off before their historic fight in May. Photo: Naoki Fukuda

Manny Pacquiao (right) and Floyd Mayweather Jr. pose before their historic fight in May of 2015. Photo: Naoki Fukuda

Manny Pacquiao received a scare on Sunday when he was nearly assaulted exiting a Los Angeles restaurant, according to a reporter for the Philippine Star, who was apparently with Pacquiao at the time and tweeted about the incident. It’s not known if the attack was fueled by Pacquiao’s anti-gay remarks he made in February and the reporter didn’t make the connection on social media.

The Star’s Abac Cordero says that a lone assailant lunged at Pacquiao hurling “F**k you” after the Filipino boxer had just left the Japanese restaurant, Kabuki, on Center Drive. The man, who Cordero described as a “white male,” was restrained by Pacquiao’s entourage as Pacquiao was about to get into his Ferrari on a back lot. “I really thought he was going to hit Manny. He came in fast. He almost got to Manny,” Cordero quoted David Sisson, a personal assistant to Pacquiao, on his Twitter account.

Edward Lura, a friend from Los Angeles, was the first to intervene and prevent the attack, Cordero said. The man was eventually freed with Pacquiao telling his handlers, “Let him go. Let him go!” according to Cordero. The police were never called and a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department told RingTV.com that a formal complaint about the incident was never made. Thus, the man’s identity has not been released. Cordero said Pacquiao’s security detail would likely be beefed up this week.

The attack is the first known public incident to have taken place since Pacquiao made disparaging comments toward gays in February when he described those involved in same-sex relationships as “worse than animals” while in the midst of his senate campaign. Pacquiao has apologized for offending anyone but said last week the remarks were taken out of context.



Pacquiao is putting the finishing touches on his training for his third fight with Timothy Bradley on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO PPV. Pacquiao has previously stated it will be his final fight but has since fudged on that claim, leaving the door slightly ajar for a return. The bout with Bradley is his first fight since his decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May. A call to Pacquiao’s spokesman was not immediately returned on Monday.

 

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