SALUD ASSAILS WBA
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 30 Jul 2008
The esteemed lawyer-sportsman Rudy Salud, founding secretary general of the World Boxing Council, former secretary general of the Philippine Games and Amusements Board, one time secretary general of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, former executive director of the Philippine Racing Commission and the most successful PBA Commissioner in the 33 year history of the pro basketball league, has assailed the WBA for ?fooling us and making money out of us.?
Salud said it was very clear that super flyweight champion Christian Mijares was ?kicked up to a super champion which means absolutely nothing? after his May 17, 2008 victory over Alexander Munoz thereby being recognized as "unified champion with the regular title status automatically declared vacant?.
Salud said this was a ploy so the WBA could sanction a fight for the vacant title between No.1 ranked Nobou Nashiro and No,.2 ranked Kohei Kono which has been set for September 15 in Yokohama, Japan.for which the organization would earn a sanction fee of $20,000.
He said the WBA also sanctioned an interim title fight between AJ ?Bazooka? Banal and Rafael ?El Torito? Concepcion which was staged last July 26 at the Cebu Coliseum and received another $20,000 as sanction fee. Concepcion won by a 10th round knockout.
Salud argued that under the rules the winner of the Concepcion-Banal interim title would cease to be considered an interim champion once one of the Japanese fighters wins in Yokohama on September 15. ?You cannot have an interim champion once you have a regular champion so even if Banal won he?d hold nothing by September 15.?
The well-known lawyer-sportsman said the commitment made by the WBA for the winner of the Banal-Concepcion interim title fight to fight the winner of the regular title bout between the two Japanese boxers was nothing special because the winner would move up in the ratings and automatically get a crack at the title as a mandatory challenger.
Another clue to the intentions of the WBA to try and make inroads in the Philippines where the WBC and WBO are particularly active and strong, the WBA said it considered the Banal-Concepcion as a fight of importance ?where WBA presence is desirable and an opportunity to expand activity in an alternate market for boxing like the Philippines.?
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