GOLDEN BOY REVEALS ARUM’S PUSH FOR SOTO MANDATORY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 30 Mar 2007
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer stands by his claim that Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum had pushed for his fighter, Humberto Soto to be named mandatory challenger against newly crowned super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
The reports caught the Pacquiao camp by surprise although close friend and confidant Rex “Wakee” Salud said he knew that Arum was pushing Soto who is currently ranked No. 2 behind Pacquiao. Pacquiao himself recently confirmed acceptance of his mandatory challenger status in response to a letter from WBC president Jose Sulaiman.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Todaym Schaefer said he had received an email from WBC secretary general Mauricio Sulaiman which confirmed the bid to have Soto declared as mandatory challenger. Schaefer disclosed that he received the Sulaiman email on March 23 at 1:47 p.m. which stated that Sulaiman had called Schaefer a couple of times without success and that his father (Jose Sulaiman) would be addressing the super featherweight division next week.
The WBC secretary general said they had received a letter from Pacquiao stating that he would be ready to fight Marquez. However, Sulaiman revealed that the WBC had “received a legal letter from Top Rank stating that Soto should be mandatory.”
Schaefer also raised the issue of Arum’s promises to Pacquiao including $5 million for the fight against undefeated but unknown Jorge Solis on April 14. Schaefer expressed the hope that Pacquiao will receive the purse he was promised although the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation records showed that the Promoter-Contestant Contracts of Pacquiao and Solis “have not been filed with the TDLR Combative Sports Program as of this date.”
Pacquiao reportedly signed a contract with Arum for a minimum guarantee of $2 million which is expected to go up to around $3.5 million with Pacquiao’s share of pay-per-view revenues which is nowhere near the $7 million he could have earned in a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera.
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