As first reported by The Sports Business Journal Daily, Top Rank has reestablished itself as the central point for all endorsement or potential sponsorship of pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao.
The move was made after various complaints from current and potential sponsors that Team Pacquiao or those affiliated with the business end of Team Pacquiao were disorganized or never followed thru on potential promises. One source cites skipping Pacquiao’s likeness for the cover of the EA Fight Night video game, ” We love Manny,he’s been good to me personally and good for the company.He would have been the ideal guy for the cover of our ‘Fight Night’ game. But because of all the layers of people out there representing him or claiming to represent him, I didn’t want to do it.”
“The left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing. I’m not subjecting my company to that,” said Sandy Sandoval,senior director of athlete relations for EA sports.
To combat the problem Top Rank has enlisted Lucia McKelvey, a a former vice president of golf development and sales at IMG who will know be the sole point of contact for all potential sponsorship opportunities for the boxer. As a result Top Rank has sent out letters to current and potential sponsors noting the change in hopes of growing Pacquiao’s commercial interest and brand names through out North America.
