Bob Arum revealed to me Wednesday night that the ?boxing figure? who Manny Pacquiao?s accounting firm is trying to bring in to review the Pinoy Idol?s boxing contracts with Arum?s Top Rank company is a Southern Californian named Jose Castillo.
This Castillo is no relation to former world champion Jose Luis Castillo but his name should, you will pardon the expression, ring a bell in some boxing insider circles. This Castillo was at one time an adviser to Hall Of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera and managed ill-fated Edwin Valero, the southpaw KO artist from Venezuela who killed himself in a jail cell, during the final part of his career.
One FOP (?Friend Of Pacquiao) told me that he thinks Michael Lodge and his Qwestvision outfit, working in tandem with Pacquaio website owner-operator Timothy James Sladeck, want Megamanny to dump or demote the Canadian agent Michael Koncz in favor of having Castillo carefully review any and all of the fighter?s boxing deals.
For his part, Sladeck has privately and publicly labeled the controversial Koncz as a lapdog or mere tool for the powerful Arum.
Castillo wound up sueing Mexican Idol Barrera over nonpayment but, according to this legal summary from the National Institute of Sports Law of Marquette University School of Law, he was KO?d mainly for not being properly licensed by the California State Athletic Commission.
Castillo v. Barrera, 53 Cal. Rptr. 3d (Cal. Ct. App. 2007). Jose Castillo brought breach of contract, fraudulent inducement to enter contract, and quantum meruit claims against professional boxer, and two-time world champion, Marco Antonio Barrera. Castillo alleged that he had an oral contract with Barrera to manage Barrera’s boxing career and was due $275,000 in consideration of his efforts. In 2003, Castillo began negotiating exclusive boxing promotion contracts and settling lawsuits for Barrera, which allowed Barrera to continue his career as a successful boxer. In October 2004, Castillo claimed that Barrera owed him money for his services performed. Barrera did not pay and cut off all communications with Castillo. Castillo brought contract claims against Barrera who subsequently moved for summary judgment. The trial court granted Berrara’s summary judgment because Castillo referred to himself as Barrera’s manager and boxing managers in California must be licensed by the state and their contracts must be in writing. Therefore, Castillo’s own judicial admission barred his claims. On appeal, Castillo claimed that his characterization as Barrera’s manager was a mere conclusion and not a judicial admission. He also argued that because the fight he set up for Barrera was in Texas, and not California, the California licensing requirement should not apply. The Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s grant of Barrera’s summary judgment because it found that Castillo had admitted to being Barrera’s manager and boxing management contracts entered into in California cover fights by boxers in any state. The court affirmed the holding that the oral contract between Castillo and Barrera was unenforceable.
