Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer says he is “surprised” that Manny Pacquiao turned down a mandatory title shot at reigning WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez after WBC president Jose Sulaiman called for free negotiations or if it didn’t work, a purse bid on June 18.
Pacquiao reportedly signed a three-paragraph letter to the WBC prepared by his adviser Michael Koncz informing Sulaiman that he was relinquishing his mandatoru status and the WBC was free to name someone else.
Schaefer told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that “this is the fight the fans want to see and it is the biggest fight in the sport.” If Pacquiao’s rejection was because of the usual 75-25 percent split of the purse between the champion and challenger Schaefer noted that ”usually the challenger would ask the WBC to change the purse split and the WBC usually does it in cases where the challenger is so well known as Manny is.”
Schaefer asked why Team Pacquiao “simply turned it down without making any effort” even as he posed the question “was it Pacquiao or Arum?”
The suspicion is that since Arum had earlier wanted the WBC to name Humberto Soto whom he handles, as the mandatory challenger after Soto won a title eliminator against Ivan Valle, he opted to have Pacquiao pullout. This would enable Soto, should he beat Bobby Pacquiao in their June 9 clash at Madison Square Garden, to be elevated to mandatory challenger status against Marquez.
In view of Pacquiao’s decision not to fight Marquez, Schaefer said he would sit down with Marco Antonio Barrera from whom Marquez won the title earlier this year to discuss the possibility of a rematch. Schaefer said should Barrera not wish to do the fight Golden Boy has several other options including Jorge Barrios, Rocky Juarez, Joan Guzman or Edwin Valero. Schaefer indicated that the next two weeks “will be very telling.” However, he did not elaborate.
Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today learned that Pacquiao who was scheduled to leave for the US today had delayed his departure for May 30 according to Rex “Wakee” Salud who is often referred to as a close friend and confidant.
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