Don King is being identified as the chief matchmaker in the prestigious heavyweight division. Bob Arum at one point expressed his loyalty to the Mexican fighters and true to his word; Arum has more Mexican fighters than Americans under his long list of contracted fighters.
Oscar De La Hoya on the one hand just shares the limelight with Arum and though Arum is still bigger than him, they both carry fighters only from North and South America.
The only promoter who is so close with the Asian boxing scene is the loud mouth Murad Muhammad.
Murad took the chance in handling Manny Pacquiao that even to his own surprise, Pacquiao turned out a gem of a fighter for him.
Seeing the gold from Pacquiao, Muhammad extended his risk in handling the untapped and disrespected talents in Asia that most big time promoters in America would ignore. With the opportunity he found in Asia, Murad wants to establish his name as the producer of Asian talent in boxing that would challenge the prominent dominance of North America.
It is a sad fate for Murad that on his initial journey as a promoter in handling an Asian fighter, it turned out as a disaster more than being a successful one. He almost made it with Pacquiao, but with the recent case filed against him, he may opt to re-consider his adherence for Asian fighters, particularly to the Filipino fighters.
There could be more promoters that can help Asian fighters to improve the level of their careers and campaign to the very discriminating, but a lucrative American market cannot deny the fact that Murad Muhammad is one of the few that has the strongest connection and associations with those big time promoters and media giant like an HBO. This is not to mention his clout over the IBF, one of the most recognized bodies in boxing. Murad also has the magic when it comes to politics in boxing where the Asians usually are the victims.
Murad Muhammad is tasked to lobby the talents of four Asian fighters. Three of which are Filipino world contenders and one is South Korean WBC featherweight titlist In Jin Chi. The Filipino pugs are super flyweight prospect and current IBF #10 contender ZC Gorres, WBC #5 flyweight Prince Gabi and the returning former champion Gerry Penalosa who is inching in for a possible match with Rafael Marquez. The Filipino business managers of Gorres, Gabi and Penalosa are dead serious in leaning the fate of their fighters to Murad.
Murad has openly accepted the challenge to lobby Filipino fighters in America, but the Pacquiao case could become a big blow to his career being a promoter.
Murad Muhammad would always accept top talents from the Philippines, but the question is how well they will be cared for? The Pacquiao case against him can lead to a demotivating attitude in handling Filipino fighters.
