Despite repeated appeals by American promoters, IBF minimumweight champion Florante Condes will not make the first defense of his crown abroad because he wants to fight before his countrymen.
That’s the word from Condes’ manager Aljoe Jaro who confirmed yesterday that the hard-hitting slugger from Romblon will stake his title against Indonesia’s Muhammad Rachman – the man whom he dethroned last July – at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Nov. 16.
Last week, Jaro and lawyer Joey Mendoza ironed out contract kinks with Condes’ US agents Dante Ortiz and Cezar Trevino in front of Games and Amusements Board (GAB) chairman Eric Buhain at his Makati office. The discussions were heated and it took at least five hours over two days for the parties to reach a settlement. Buhain played a key role in forging the agreement.
Condes signed a three-year contract with Ortiz, a Puerto Rican living in Las Vegas, and New Jersey promoter Bobby Bostick, whom Trevino represents, last September. The deal stipulated three fights for Condes a year in the US. None materialized, prompting Jaro to work on his own for a title shot against Rachman in Jakarta.
Now that Condes is the IBF champion, Ortiz and Trevino are trying to bring the Filipino to the US. They arrived here with former world junior welterweight champion Morris East, who now lives in Las Vegas, to persuade Condes to campaign overseas under their management. Jaro, however, refused to oblige.
“I made it clear to them that Condes wants to make his first defense in the Philippines,” said Jaro. “They have no right to force Condes to do what they want. First of all, they never made good on their part of the contract. My lawyer explained to them that we could file for breach of contract. Napahiya sila.”
Trevino offered to promote Condes’ first defense against Mexican contender Rajito Garcia in Baja California, Mexico, on Sept. 25. They mentioned Oct. 10 as an alternate date.
Jaro stood firm on his position and said Rachman had agreed to fight Condes here for a $10,000 purse and provisions for a four-man traveling group. Jaro and promoter Rod Nazario will stage the fight, supported by two Philippine championship bouts, with Condes assured of at least a P2.5 Million purse.
Jaro said if for some reason Rachman backs out, Mexican contender Lorenzo Trejo is on standby as a substitute challenger.
Jaro said Trevino gave Condes a check for $9,500 as Bostick’s contribution to his purse for the Rachman fight in Jakarta. Condes was paid only $3,700 by Rachman’s group because Ortiz failed to show up for the purse bidding at the IBF office in New Jersey early this year. Rachman’s group, Warriors Promotions, bid $25,000 and won by default. To make up for the loss, Bostick promised to pay Condes an additional sum.
But Jaro said Condes deposited only $5,900 of Bostick’s contribution after Ortiz and East netted out their shares. Jaro gave in to the claims of Ortiz and East even as they had no participation in the Jakarta fight. As Condes’ US agent, Ortiz is entitled to a 16 percent share of his purses. East asked for a 10 percent share as trainer although he never worked with Condes in the gym.
“They were very unreasonable,” said Jaro, referring to Ortiz and Trevino. “Ang kukulit nila. I became hysterical in our first meeting with Chairman Buhain. But we settled down. Chairman Buhain threatened to throw us all out of his office if we didn’t behave. In the end, we agreed to forget the past and move on. But I’m willing to talk only to Trevino, not Ortiz.”
Condes began training in Jaro’s gym in Binangonan, Rizal, last Monday and will start sparring next week. He now weighs 113 pounds and Jaro said it won’t be a problem making the limit of 105 for his first defense.
Jaro said his other highly-touted fighter Bernabe Concepcion may fight in the undercard but it depends on whether he can be accommodated in the Manny Pacquaio-Marco Antonio Barrera show in Las Vegas on Oct. 6.
