MAYWEATHER STRIPPED OF WBO WELTERWEIGHT TITLE HE WON AGAINST PACQUIAO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 07 Jul 2015
The World Boxing Organization has stripped undefeated pound for pound No. 1 Floyd Mayweather Jr of the WBO welterweight title he won from eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao in the ?Fight of the Century? in Las Vegas last May 2.
Despite Mayweather?s initial protest over the WBO's decision to allow Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas to fight for the belt, and gaining an extra deadline, the WBO Championship Committee headed by Luis Batista Salas has recognized Bradley as the new champion following his impressive unanimous twelve round decision victory over Vargas although the bout ended in controversy when Vargas staggered Bradley who was on the verge of going down when referee Pat Russell mistakenly ended the bout with some seven seconds remaining, thinking the ten second clapper was the bell.
Despite the protests of the Vargas camp the WBO upheld the decision enabling Bradley to become the welterweight champion for the second time after having won the title from Pacquiao in a hugely controversial decision in their first meeting with Pacquiao regaining the title in a rematch with a lopsided unanimous decision.
Salas noted that due to Champion Mayweather?s statements that he would relinquish all titles and his expressed desire to fight one non-title 12-rounder bout before retiring to allow for the development of young fighters, the WBO World Championship Committee approved the June 27th 2015 bout between Bradley and Jessie Vargas for the Vacant WBO Welterweight Championship of the World.
However, on May 20th 2015, having heard boxing commentators talk of an upcoming Bradley-Vargas bout for the Vacant WBO Welterweight title, the WBO received a letter from the concerned Mayweather camp through his attorney, John Hornewer, stating that Mayweather had no definite plans for the future other than the September 2015 bout and specifically, desired to have a written confirmation from the WBO that he remained the WBO/WBA/WBC Unified Welterweight Champion of the World.
However Salas said ?due to the WBO?s and Bradley and Vargas? great respect for Mayweather, the status of the June 27th 2015 bout between Bradley, and Vargas for the Vacant WBO Welterweight Championship of the World was amended to an Interim WBO Welterweight Championship to allow Mayweather additional opportunity to make his determination whether he wished to retain the WBO Welterweight Championship in conformity with the WBO Rules; and sent a letter requesting that Champion Mayweather convey in writing -on or before Monday, June 1st 2015? his unequivocal intent to retain his WBO Welterweight title, in accordance with the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.
The WBO regulations, as pointed out by Salas, would require that Mayweather ?relinquish his WBA/WBC 154 lb. title, for ?no WBO Champion may hold a non-WBO Championship in a weight class that is different from the weight class of his WBO Championship.?
In stripping Mayweather of his WBO title, the WBO resolution stated that ?In the present case, Mr. Mayweather, Jr. failed to pay the $200,000.000 fee required of him as a participant of a WBO World Championship Contest and despite affording Mr. Mayweather Jr. the courtesy of an extension to advise us of his position within the WBO Welterweight Division and to vacate the two 154-pound world titles he holds, the WBO World Championship Committee received no response from him or his legal representatives on this matter.?
Salas in conclusion said ?The WBO World Championship Committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. as the WBO Welterweight Champion of the World and vacate his title, for failing to comply with our WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.
This is a final decision of the WBO World Championship Committee. The affected WBO Participant may appeal to the Complaint and Grievance Committee pursuant to WBO World Championship Section 34, which per Rule 3(e) of the WBO Appeals Regulation, must be submitted in writing to the WBO President within fourteen (14) days of the date of this decision as its sole and exclusive remedy.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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