AUSTRALIANS WAKE UP TO MISMATCHES
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 31 Aug 2007
The furor over brutal mismatches featuring Filipino boxers in Australia raised by Sydney-based Filipinos and exposed by Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today has seen leading Australian boxing people to wake up and take a stand.
The first to do so was WBF president Mick Croucher who revealed that his organization was asked but refused to sanction a title fight between Rolando Gerongco who had a record of 13-26 with 7 KO's and promising Australian light welterweight Lance Gostelow who had a record of 10-1 with 8 KO's and won as expected by a first round knockout in a horrendous mismatch.
The latest to join the outcry against mismatches involving Filipino boxers is Australia's "Promoter of the Year" Peter Maniatis who is also a matchmaker and hosts the popular KO boxing show on TV channel 31. Maniatis informed Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that he has not had a Filipino boxer fight in any of his events in the last nine years. Maniatis said the average Australian fight fan "thinks Filipino boxers are tough and can punch but if you need your boxer to get a certain win, just match him up with a Filipino boxer."
The well-known promoter said "most of the time the fights are offered on short notice against the local hotshot in his own backyard." However, Maniatis confirmed our worst fears when he revealed that the Filipino boxers "always give away weight so the chances of a win are very slim."However, Maniatis said the Filipino boxers get paid $250 per round which is much higher than the purses paid by Filipino promoters. Besides, there are much fewer promotions in the Philippines.
Maniatis disclosed that he has informed fans of his boxing show that only B and sometimes C grade fighters are ivited to Australia and that "ninety nine percent of the time they fight off their weight class." He said the doctors and officials in Australia are world class but that he was "sick of watching Filipino boxers up against Australian boxers" although he said the Filipinos depend on their purses to live in Australia where "the cost of living is expensive."
Maniatis who interviewed Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao in the US recently reiterated his invitation to Pacquiao to visit Australia as his guest after his October 6 rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera. and requested us to pass the information on to Pacquiao who is training in Cebu City.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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