Cancellation of Ernie Sanchez?s fight points to more questions to boxer's previous dealings with Michael Koncz and MP Promotions
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 12 Feb 2014
Ernie Sanchez of General Santos City will not arrive in LAX today as planned. His fight this Saturday in California and flight Tuesday from Manila has both been scrapped by Bob Arum?s Top Rank Boxing.
Sanchez, 22, has what it seemed to him and his manager, Brico Santig, an airtight deal to fight Diego Magdaleno of Las Vegas as the headlining bout at the C. Robert Lee Center in Hawaiian Gardens California this Saturday until Top Rank Boxing had a change of mind last week.
Santig, of Highland Boxing and Filipino matchmaker Ronald Jerez point to Manny Pacquiao?s right hand man and adviser, Michael Koncz as the cause for the cancellation of Sanchez?s fight.
Koncz according to a Top Rank representative, opposed to the fight because the Canadian adviser of Manny Pacquiao is claiming managerial rights over Sanchez as per Santig and Jerez.
Sanchez and Santig contradict Koncz?s claims and state that the General Santos boxer is not bound by any contract to Koncz or any other manager or promoter other than that with Highland Boxing.
Sanchez, who is to earn $6000 for this bout, is deeply saddened by this recent turn of events. Not only is this a loss of income for the young boxer, this was also a chance for him to bolster his rankings against a ranked fighter like Magdaleno.
But this was not only the first time where Koncz caused Sanchez a loss of income.
Back when Sanchez was with his old manager, Rey Golingan, the boxer fought in two of Pacquiao?s undercards in Las Vegas in 2012 under Pacquiao?s MP Promotions which is run by Koncz. The first was in June 9 against Wilton Hilario and in December 8 against Coy Williams.
Sanchez was victorious in both fights, except in the agreed purses the two bouts.
According to Sanchez, he was supposed to earn $6,500 against Hilario and $7,500 against Williams in the two contracts that he agreed to but was given an amount considerably lesser than that on both fights.
Sanchez was paid 57,000 and 63,000 in Philippine Pesos for the two fights in Las Vegas by MP Promotions. That converts to $1,357 and $1,500 in an exchange rate of 42 Philippine Peso to 1 US Dollar, the average exchange rate in 2012.
That is a deficit of more than $11,000 than what boxer and promoter agreed upon.
It was also discovered by Jerez that both fights were not cleared or authorized by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the regulating body for the sport in the Philippines.
Hence, according to the GAB?s official records, Sanchez?s record stands at only 12 wins (5 KOs) to 5 losses. He was not credited the two victories against Hilario and Williams in Las Vegas because he was not authorized to participate in those fights.
Did Koncz and MP Promotions bypass the GAB and pursued the fight without the authority of the GAB? If so, what Koncz and MP Promotions did was illegal and in violation of Philippine laws that pertains to the practice of the sport by a boxer and its manager and promoter.
Sanchez went into a prolonged hiatus after his December 8th bout. He left Golingan and MP Promotions last year and signed with Santig and Highland Boxing afterwards. Little did he know, that the nightmares of his past will continue to hunt him in his present and future endeavors in the sport.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com and on Twitter @Freemazon910.
Sanchez's record at the Philippines' Games and Amusement Board (GAB).
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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