MANILA, Philippines—A review and revision of the sanctioning system applied in world professional boxing is imperative following the latest misunderstanding that victimized boxing hero Manny Pacquiao.
This was the advice yesterday to World Boxing Council president Jose Sulaiman by lawyer Rudy Salud, the founding secretary general of the top world boxing body.
Sulaiman last week denounced and threatened Pacquiao, accusing him of reneging on his obligations to the WBC totaling $130,000 in sanction fees.
It was later established that the accusation was baseless, and that the enormous amount initially assessed Pacquiao was a result of miscommunication.
Pacquiao, whom the overanxious Sulaiman threatened with revocation of his world lightweight title during the recent WBC convention in Chengdu, China, has responded with admirable maturity.
After assuring Sulaiman he would promptly pay up whatever amount is necessary once properly assessed and advised, Pacquio told the WBC head he’s keeping the lines open for a dialogue.
Salud said he found it surprising, if not outright ridiculous, how Sulaiman suddenly decided to charge Pacquiao in sanction fees for the Dream Match, which the WBC president had earlier dismissed as a “fight between a pachyderm and a hobbit horse.”
There’s no title at stake in Pacquiao’s monumental fight against Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas on Dec. 6.
The fight is not sanctioned by the WBC and will be supervised by the Nevada State Commission.
“Granting that the sanction fee is legal, Pacquiao being a WBC champion carrying his title in another fight, what basis did they use to come up with the enormous percentage?” Salud asked.
Sulaiman was obviously swayed by the claim made by jaded international promoter Don King that Pacquiao stands to earn as much as $20 million against De La Hoya, and paying a paltry sum “would be a theft.”
However, Golden Boy Promotions vice president Eric Gomez was quick to assure that Pacquiao stands to earn a lot less, “maybe less than $10 million.”
“If one champion, like (former IBF minimumweight king Florante) Condes, was assessed $300 for 3 percent of his purse totaling $10,000 why would another world champion be charged exorbitantly?” Salud asked.
“There should be a sane system of determining sanction fees. A champion indeed uses his crown to claim fame, but isn’t the WBC itself using the greatness of this champ to enhance its prestige?”
The WBC definitely owes Pacquiao tremendous prestige that can’t be weighed in dollars, he added.
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