Several top-notch local referees are being considered to work the Manny Pacquiao-Fashsan 3-K Battery bout in an open-air field at the Fort in the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, on Dec. 11 but if the fight is sanctioned by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) as a title eliminator, the job will likely go to a foreigner.
Pacquiao?s business manager Rod Nazario confirmed recently that New Jersey promoter Murad Muhammad is arranging for the IBF to sanction the scheduled 12-round encounter. If the IBF gives its go-signal, it will not only designate the fight supervisor at ringside but also the referee and three judges.
If the fight is not sanctioned by the IBF, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) is authorized to assign the referee and judges as the supervising agency for professional boxing in the country.
Bruce McTavish, Silvestre Abainza, Ferdinand Estrella and Virgilio Garcia are the early candidates for the job as the third man in the ring.
McTavish and Garcia are licensed by the World Boxing Council (WBC) while Abainza and Estrella by the World Boxing Association. They are allowed to work fights sanctioned by governing bodies other than their affiliations in their home countries.
Australian Malcolm Bulner who is of Sri Lankan descent is a candidate if the IBF decides to sanction the fight and designate a neutral referee. The hitch is like McTavish and Garcia, Bulner is affiliated with the WBC.
A plan to bring in ring announcer Michael (Let?s Get Ready To Rumble) Buffer was scuttled. Instead, organizers are rumored to be considering to tap a popular Smart showbiz endorser for the job. Smart and Solar Sports are the chief sponsors of the card.
Muhammad is expected to fly back to Manila on Nov. 20 and stay until after the fight whose highlights he hopes to convince the US cable network HBO (Home Box Office) to air before the WBC heavyweight title fight between Vitaly Klitschko and Danny Williams scheduled Sunday morning (Manila time, Dec. 12).
Nazario said trainer Freddie Roach could arrive next week to supervise Pacquiao?s workouts in Davao City. Roach initially said he wouldn?t be able to come until Dec. 8 because of a prior commitment to work Hawaii-born Filipino flyweight contender Brian Viloria?s corner in a Dec. 5 fight. But the Viloria bout was recently postponed, allowing Roach to plane in much sooner.
Nazario said if Roach flies in next week, he will organize clinics for the Eddie Futch disciple to share his knowledge and give pointers to Filipino trainers.
If for some reason Roach is unable to come, Nazario said Puerto Rican cutman Lenny de Jesus, Lito Mondejar and Buboy Fernandez will be in Pacquiao?s corner for the Fahsan match. De Jesus is expected to plane in from the US two days before the fight.
Pacquiao is now training in Davao City. Last week, he said he weighed 130 pounds, four over the featherweight limit. Local fighters Fernando Montilla, Christopher Saluday and Arnel Porras were recruited to rotate as Pacquiao?s sparmates.
Nazario was at the GAB office in Makati the other day to file the 66-round Global City card, billed as “Yanig Sa Taguig.”
The Pacquiao-Fahsan fight was listed in the card as for “the people?s featherweight championship.” Rising superflyweight star Z (The Dream) Gorres will take on a to-be-determined opponent, possibly an Argentinian, in a 10-round special attraction. Pacquiao?s brother Bobby stakes his Philippine superfeatherweight crown against No. 1 contender Dexter Delada and Philippine lightweight titlist Montilla defends the throne against No. 2 contender Rey Almonicar in a pair of 12-rounders. Featherweights Melvin Ayudtod and Joebar Damosmog tangle in eight rounds. Minimumweights Florante Condez and Danny Linasa slug it out in eight rounds while bantamweights Ernel Fontanilla and Gerald Carreon face off in the four-round curtain raiser.
