WBC PRESIDENT SULAIMAN ALMOST COMPLETES REVIEW PROCESS OF PETALCORIN TITLE FIGHT, DECISION LIKELY ON WEDNESDAY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 26 Apr 2016
World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman has informed The Standard that "the process" of reviewing the WBC Silver flyweight title fight between Filipino southpaw Randy "Razor" Petalcorin and Australia-based Tanzanian Omari Kimweri was almost complete and a decision is likely to be announced Wednesday.
Petalcorin's co-managers Jim Claude Manangquil, the youthful CEO of Sanman Promotions, and multi-titled Australian promoter Peter Maniatis immediately after the fight filed a protest with the WBC and cited several discrepancies.
The most bizarre was the performance of referee Malcolm Bulner, a naturalized Australian who was a Sri Lankan and fought in the Olympics, who failed to count at least four knockdowns scored by former WBA light flyweight Interim champion Petalcorin at the Melbourne Pavilion, raising a howl of protest from the Filipino?s co-managers and Filipino media people.
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In a telephone call with The Standard shortly after the fight, Maniatis said the split decision in favor of Omari Kimweri was a travesty.
Highlights of the fight posted on Facebook clearly showed the knockdowns which Bulner unbelievably failed to count.
Another issue that surfaced was why, aside from Bulner being the referee, his wife Samanta was a judge who aided her husband by voting for Kimweri.
Rules regarding knockdowns are clear and that is, if a fighter he held up by the ropes as in the case of Kimweri at least twice, it should be counted as a knockdown.
Either referee Bulner didn?t know the rules or he was part of a conspiracy to rob Petalcorin of the decision and to favor the naturalized Australian boxer.
Manangquil and Maniatis said they were both ?shocked and disgusted by the decision. It was horrible for boxing. This is killing the sport that we love but also hurts the boxers who work hard.?
While there is speculation that Sulaiman may declare the fight a "no contest" and order a rematch, Maniatis doesn't believe that Kimweri will face Petalcorin once again.
Photo (L-R): JC Mananquil, Randy Petalcorin, Peter Maniatis and Omari Kemwiri during the weighin.
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