PACQUIAO-BARRERA NEGOTIATION: SMART MOVE BY WBC
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 12 Dec 2006
WBC president Jose Sulaiman has taken the initiative to officially call for “free negotiations” between the handlers of super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera and mandatory contender, Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao.
In an email to Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Sulaiman said that if no agreement is reached the WBC will conduct a purse offer at noon on January 12, 2007 in Mexico City.
In his letter to both Pacquiao and Barrera whom he addressed as “Dear Champions” Sulaiman said he was “very proud of both of you and the WBC is very excited for this, the best fight in the division.” The WBC president sent copies if his letter to Pacquiao and Barrera to the Games and Amusements Board, the OPBF and the North American Boxing Federation.
In the face of a contractual dispute between Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions which signed a seven-fight deal with Pacquiao in mid-September in Los Angeles and the claim of Top Rank’s Bob Arum that he had inked a four year agreement with Pacquiao who Arum said was prohibited from signing up with any promoter until after his November 18 Grand Finale with Erik “El Terrible” Morales, it was uncertain who had the right to negotiate for Pacquiao.
WBC founding secretary general Rudy Salud said it was a “smart move” on the part of Sulaiman to force a resolution of the contractual dispute. Salud said Sulaiman was “forcing the hand of Pacquiao to make up his mind because it all boils down to Manny’s decision.”
Salud brushed aside the claims of Arum that Pacquiao had signed a fight contract with a clause prohibiting him from signing with any other promoter before November 18 stating that even if he did the Golden Boy contract was effective only after the Morales fight and in no way interfered with the November 18 WBC International super featherweight title bout.
Despite Arums statement that Pacquiao’s lawyer Atty. Franklin “Jing” Gacal had gone through the clause with a fine -tooth comb, Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer stated in two emails to Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that there was no fight contract with such a clause filed with the Commission raising doubts as to the validity of Arum’s claims.
However boxing promoter and manager Rex “Wakee” Salud who said he is keeping a low profile after being eased out of Pacquiao’s inner circle by agent Michael Koncz whom he referred to as a traitor claimed he had personally seen the clause with the prohibition but couldn’t explain why Kizer said it was not there. The Standard requested Salud to ask Atty. Gacal to produce a copy of the fight contract clause two days ago but as of press time there was no response.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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