CANTADA PROTESTS GAB FEE INCREASES, CANCELS FISTORAMA
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 19 Oct 2006
Edgardo "Boy" Cantada, promoter and TV producer of the weekly boxing show "Fistorama" over RPN 9 and telecast worldwide on the Filipino channel has strongly protested the "arbitrary increase" of ring officials compensation by the GAB and as a result has decided to cancel the pro boxing show and shift his efforts to amateur boxing.
In a strongly worded letter to GAB Chairman Eric Buhain provided a rundown of the increased fees which he charged were "excessive and a disproportionate increase" particularly in the case of referees and judges.
Cantada said that in his September 17 fight card he was charged a total of P31,800 compared to a previous promotion on April 23 where he was charged only P9,480. He said referees compensation in non-championship bouts was increased to P800 per bout regardless of whether it was a four rounder or a ten rounder while in his previous promotion he was charged P160 for a four rounder and P400 for a ten rounder.
Cantada claimed that he was made to pay P1,200 for the three judges per bout with no difference between a four rounder and a ten rounder and was charged P10,800 for the nine bouts on the September card whereas in previous promotions he was charged a flat rate of P2,000 for the full card. He said the ring announcer’s fee was increased from P1,500 to P2,000 and the time-keepers fees were increased from P750 to P1,500.
The well-known sportsman and brother of the late Joe Cantada, an icon among TV sportscasters and ring announcer for the famed "Thrilla in Manila" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier on October 1, 1975, said he was charged P6,000 for two ring physicians compared to the previous rate of P2,000.
Cantada said "what shocked me was the absence of any consultation regarding this very serious matter or, at the very least, an earlier notice to this effect" adding that the charges were presented to him at the boxing event itself. Cantada said he could have agreed to a reasonable rate of increase in compensation but instead has decided "to leave professional boxing altogether."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
By Dong Secuya, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
Mon, 15 Sep 202521-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
Sun, 14 Sep 2025Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Crawford to defy odds?
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Sun, 14 Sep 2025