According to sources in the Philippines, after spending nearly the entire day in private meetings with pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao, Michael Koncz has regained his full position as adviser of the Filipino superstar. Although Pacquiao himself had already confirmed that Koncz was not fired from the team, a number of sources were reporting that he had effectively been stripped of all power and duties as adviser. Evidently, earlier today, close friend and confidant Rex "Wakee" Salud supposedly sat down with the eight-division world champion and convinced him that it might be best to keep Koncz in his position as liaison officer to Top Rank as his career moves forward.
For those of you who are unware, Rex Salud is one of the most successful boxing managers in the Philippines. Although he has no official business relationship with Pacquiao, Salud has been perhaps his most trusted consultant when it comes to making decisions regarding his boxing career. As far as back as 2005, Salud has been instrumental in providing guidance when it came to making tough decisions. "I have no business contract whatsoever with Manny's ring career. We are just good friends but I admit, I am most of the time acting as a consultant or a guide to Manny's decision making for his career," Salud would explain in a previous interview. "Manny is literally handling his own affairs, even if he has his management team, what he decides is what should happen. With the way things are going in his camp, Manny is like a freelance manager."
Whether or not the decision to keep Koncz in his full position will impact the work that VisionQwest is doing in regards to reviewing Pacquiao's contracts remains to be seen, however, it's clear that the struggle for power has tipped back in favor of Top Rank Promotions. The coming days and weeks should be very interesting as Pacquiao's battles outside of the ring have proven to be just as exciting as they are inside of the ring.
[ Follow Ben Thompson on Twitter @fighthype ]