According to Yahoo Sports, two members of Manny Pacquiao's entourage attacked photographer Al Bello because he was taking pictures of the knocked-out Pacquiao at the conclusion of Saturday's fight. Bello spoke to Yahoo, which also has photos of the incident, about the the alleged attack yesterday:
Bello said Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez were punching and kicking at Bello as he was trying to photograph Pacquiao, who was face first down on the mat.
Bello jumped off the apron in an effort to avoid confrontation with the men.
"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 Yahoo! Sports.
It's understandable, maybe, that Koncz and Fernandez had an emotional reaction to seeing their friend get brutally knocked out and were feeling protective. But there's a reason Pacquiao was stretched out under bright lights with a photographer handy: He was making a shitload of money—some of which presumably went to Koncz and Fernandez—to participate in a spectacle. If you don't want people gawking at your pal's injury, tell your pal to find a career that doesn't involve people injuring each other in front of an audience.
It's not as if people weren't going to be able to relive Pacquiao's knockout over and over again anyway, with or without Bello. So back off, guys. Remember, when life turns your photo opportunity into a lemon, you can always make some photo lemonade.
Top photo by Al Bello, via Getty Images.
[Yahoo]