MAYOL WANTS OUT FROM JAPANESE MANAGER
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 12 May 2007
Former WBC mini flyweight world title challenger Rodel Mayol wants out from his Japanese manager Yasuo Matsuoka, accusing the manager of failure to take care of him as a world rated fighter and to attend to his needs. Mayol, regarded as one of the best prospects for a world title has appealed to Games and Amusements Board chairman Eric Buhain for help saying "I dream of becoming a world champion some day."
Mayol who scored a sensational fourth round TKO over Mexico’s Lorenzo Trejo in a world title eliminator and earned a mandatory title shot at Japan-based Thai Eagle Kyowa, blamed Matsuoka for his admittedly "poor performance." Mayol dominated the fight in the early rounds but faded in the end and lost a unanimous twelve round decision on May 6, 2006. The 25 year old Mayol was undefeated at that time with a record of 22-0 with 17 knockouts.
He said he was not taken care of to be ready for the title fight against Eagle Kyowa, had "no decent sparring partners" and was sent to Japan only one week before the fight. Mayol said he stayed in Paranaque at the home of Matsuoka and his Filipino wife Gina and "went to the gym by jeepney and alone with no trainer" which resulted in his disappointing performance in a title showdown he was widely expected to win being undefeated at that time.
In his last fight against Japan’s Masatugu Okada in Yokohama on September 18, 2006, Mayol scored a first round knockout but stressed, in an official letter to Buhain, that Matsuoka was "very occupied with domestic problems and can’t focus on my career." Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today earlier learned that the Japanese had tried to prove he could compete with established big boxing personalities like Akihiko Honda and lost out financially.
In his letter which was emailed to Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today with a plea for "help and support" in his effort to free himself from Matusoka’s management contract, Mayol said he has been inactive for more than six months, his career was stagnating "despite the boom in the boxing industry" and as a result has slipped to No.3 in the world ratings beyond Thailand’s Oleydong Sithsamerchai and Puerto Rico’s Omar Soto.
Mayol claimed he was ejected from his hotel in Japan and his manager was incapable of providing his "food and other necessities." He claimed that his purse for the Okada fight was supposed to be $5,000 but he was paid only $3,000. Mayol said he has "no more contact" with his manager despite insisting that he would like to talk to him. He said his only contact was Matsuoka’s wife who "cannot handle my boxing career since she is not my manager."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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