SULAIMAN PUSHES FOR PACQUIAO-MARQUEZ TITLE FIGHT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 18 May 2007
WBC president Jose Sulaiman is pushing for a title fight between Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and reigning WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez who won the title from legendary Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao and Marquez fought to a controversial draw in a furious battle for Marquez's WBC and IBF featherweight title in April 2004 in Las Vegas in which Pacquiao decked the Mexican three times in the first round but couldn't put him away.
Sulaiman forwarded Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today a copy of the letter he had sent both fighters as well as promoters Golden Boy and Top Rank and others including Games and Amusements Board chairman Eric Buhain.
In his letter Sulaiman said that once the political conditions have cleared in the Philippines in obvious reference to Pacquiao?s defeat at the hands of congresswoman Darlene Antonino Custodio, the WBC is ?ruling the holding of the mandatory defense? between Marquez and official challenger and WBC International champion Pacquiao.
Sulaiman made it clear the WBC was ?giving 30 days of free negotiations for both fighters to sign for a promotion.? In a clarification, the WBC president stated that ?if there is no agreement among the parties, a purse offer ceremony will be held at noon on June 18? at the WBC executive offices in Mexico City.
Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today called Sulaiman?s residence early yesterday to talk about the options open to Pacquiao but were informed that he was ?not in Mexico City.? Meantime, efforts to reach Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer also proved futile since he was reportedly bound for Phoenix and was attending to the Bernard Hopkins-Winky Wright promotional roadshow.
Under established WBC rules in a successful purse bid the champion gets 75 percent and the challenger 25 percent which given the attraction that Pacquiao is will never be acceptable. In fact his present promoter Bob Arum has said many times in the past that Marquez can?t draw the fans and its Pacquiao who is the attracton.
Besides, the legal battle over promotional rights to Pacquiao remains unresolved with depositions including those of Pacquiao, Arum and former manager Shelly Finkel among others still to be taken by Golden Boy lawyers.
Arum has suggested that he and Golden Boy?s representatives meet to resolve their current conflict because both parties were wasting millions of dollars but Schaefer has remained lukewarm at best merely stating in an earlier conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that Arum ?knows what to do.?
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