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WBC WELCOMES GOLDEN BOY-TOP RANK AGREEMENT By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Mon, 02 Jul 2007  World Boxing Council executive secretary Mauricio Sulaiman has welcomed the agreement between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank saying “it has a tremendous impact on the boxing world and it is a clear sign on how boxing is in great shape today.” Sulaiman told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today pointed out that “great promotions around the world with sold out stadiums, great fights are happening every month.” The son of WBC president Jose Sulaiman said that the disputes between Golden Boy and Top Rank were “putting in jeopardy sensational fights between the best boxers in the world and the fighters were suffering because of such legal problems.” Sulaiman cited the case of Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao who, he said, ”has been deprived of becoming the WBC super featherweight champion” but added that “now it is over and the boxing world will certainly witness some great fights involving Manny, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Humberto Soto etc.” The WBC executive secretary applauded Bob Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer for “putting aside all disagreements and shaking hands, Everybody will win.” Meamtime, WBC founding secretary general, the eminent lawyer Rudy Salud says “its time to rejoice” over the agreement signed between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank Promotions which ended a bitter legal battle between the arch rivals over the promotional rights to Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao. Under the agreement which is reportedly covered by a confidentiality clause, Pacquiao will face legendary Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera in a rematch that Barrera himself said he wanted otherwise he would retire. Pacquiao’s celebrated trainer Freddie Roach said the Barrera rematch is “the best fight for Manny” because it will also enable him to make big money which he couldn’t earn by fighting unknowns such as Jorge Solis whom he knocked out in the eighth round last April 14 and received a purse of only $2 million while the pay-per-view buys disappointing with less than 200,000 buys. The rematch with Barrera who was demolished in eleven rounds by Pacquiao in November 2003 at the Alamadome in San Antonio, Texas will take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It will be a joint promotion. In a telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Atty. Salud said “its time to rejoice principally for boxing fans as a whole, the sport itself and Pacquiao and the Filipino that is Pacquiao.” Salud said the agreement between Golden Boy and Arum “in whatever way, having not seen the details, gives Pacquiao the opportunity to fight all the good opponents and demonstrate his overflowing talent to then whole world and as a Filipino let’s be proud of that regardless of his extra-curricular activities.” Salud said “we keep on hoping that Manny hues to the values that popular Filipinos are expected to live by.” The lawyer who is steeped in sports said that if Pacquiao “prepares well he can do exactly the same thing he did before” to Barrera even as he stressed that as a fighter Pacquiao is “way, way ahead of Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez and everybody else at this moment provided of course he prepares himself properly. ” Salud said he was sure Pacquiao was smart enough to realize that he has to prepare well. Roach himself earlier indicated he wanted Pacquiao to report to his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles by August 1 which would give him eight weeks of solid preparation. Salud said “if he does this there is no way anybody can beat him.“ Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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