DEATH IN THE RING – PART IV
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 13 Apr 2007
Hard-hitting boxing writer Scott Mallon who is on Ring Magazine’s rating panel branded the ban imposed by Buhain “as a positive step.” GAB Commissioner Angel Bautista and Dr.Cruz who left for Bangkok on April 5 along with South Cotabato governor Manny Pinol who was tasked by President Arroyo to help in having the body of Sisnorio flown back to the Philippines, were expected to investigate the Sisnorio death and the broader issue of mismatches featuring Filipino boxers who leave the country to fight in Thailand without the proper authority from the GAB.
Mallon supports the widespread consensus that stiff penalties need to be enacted to punish any fighter, promoter, manager or matchmaker “from thinking it's business as usual” after the initial furor dies down. Mallon suggested that “instead of the penalties being a fine or suspension, the penalty needs to be more in line with the punishment for human trafficking.”
By coincidence, Obero whose real name is Ranilo Terrania was arrested and taken into custody by the NBI some weeks ago following an entrapment operation at Makro in Quezon City where Obero was to receive money from a victim of his illegal recruitment activities of overseas workers. A supposed partner of Obero who was driving his Innova, identified as Mar Vargas, tried to ram an NBI operative and was shot dead. However, Buhain revealed that when he checked with the NBI, Obero was no longer in custody which raises some intriguing questions.
Obero eventually landed in a Nueva Ecija jail according to ABS-CBN since the illegal recruitment complaint was filed there. However, the network reporter who was tracking him down said he had apparently been released after the charges were dropped. To seemingly add insult to injury Philboxing.com reported that Obero was running for Mayor of Bayawan City against incumbent German Sarana Jr on the administration Lakas-CMD ticket. The popular website claimed that Obero had stated in the past that he wanted to become Mayor because the revenue allotment for the city was substantial.
Meanwhile, because of the suddenness of the ban on Filipino boxers fighting in Thailand, Buhain had to make an exception in the case of a fight card set for Good Friday, April the 13th in Wat Klang, Pathumthani, Thailand since the schedule had been set, expenses incurred and the fights approved by the GAB. However, the moment the news broke that the ban would not apply, we received an email and then an overseas telephone call from Peter Maniatis, who said he was the “Promoter of the Year” as well as a boxing manager from Melbourne, Australia.
Maniatis disclosed that Jury Noda who was scheduled to fight undefeated Saddam Kietyongyuth over six rounds was managed by him and that nobody had contacted him about the fight Maniatis described Noda who is from Angeles City as “a good, tough Filipino boxer” but that he was knocked out in the second round by American Charles Bellamy (2-0, 1 KO) in Tokyo last January 13. Maniatis who said he arranged the Bellamy fight insisted he would not have accepted the fight against Saddam who has a record of 12-0 with 8 KO’s especially since Noda “has just been hurt in his last fight and needs an easier fight to build himself up again.”
The Australian said he was “worried for Noda in this fight with the Thai and I hope he does not get hurt in the ring.” Maniatis said he would “rather give him the money he will receive in the fight” and stop him from going through with it. Maniatis said as both a promoter and a manager he can “see both sides of the deal but my heart is always firstly with the well-being of the boxer. Promoters sometimes forget that boxers are human beings with loving families.”
Filipino Jack Asis was listed as the opponent of undefeated Chonlatarn Pinyapinyo for the WBC Asian Boxing Council featherweight title on the boxrec.com website but Asis’s name was suddenly removed on April 6 and Cholatarn’s opponent’s slot carried a question mark. Boxrec records showed that the Thai was 18-0 with 9 knockouts and had 12 successful title defenses while Asis had a record of 11-6-1 with 6 KO’s. In another bout on the same card Eric Rapada(5-4-2, 1 KO) was scheduled in an eight rounder against Maxsaisai Pinsinchai who is undefeated with a record of 10-0 with 4 knockouts.
When we informed chairman Buhain of the concern of Maniatis and read him the contents of his email, he was ready to order Commissioner Bautista and Dr. Cruz to have the Noda fight called off. However, after an overseas telephone conversation with Dr. Cruz, the chairman said he couldn’t act on the complaint since there was “no existing Boxer-Manager Contract between Noda and any manager” according to the GAB record-keeper Mrs. Yandan. Buhain indicated that Noda was being handled by his trainer Charlie Sanchez.
As Buhain correctly pointed out, Maniatis has to coordinate with the GAB to get a license and be recognized as Noda’s manager by the GAB and there needs to be a BMC between him and the boxer. But while he may not officially be recognized by the GAB his concern in response to the death of Lito Sisnorio and the entire spectrum of the ills of the sport is commendable.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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