WBC SUSPENDS PACQUIAO-BARRERA PURSE BID

The World Boxing Council has suspended the purse bid for the mandatory title shot of Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao against reigning WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera. The purse bid was scheduled for January 12 should

negotiations between the two fighters handlers not succeed.

In an email to Viva Sports/Manila Standard today, WBC president Jose Sulaiman said that “due to the current legal situation” the purse offer was suspended. Golden Boy Promotions who signed Pacquiao to a seven fight contract in mid-September filed a case in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Bob Arum’s Top Rank of “tortuous interference” after Arum announced last November 18 that he had inked a four year promotional deal with Pacquiao.

For his part Arum sought “declaratory judgment” in a Las Vegas court which effectively asked the court to decide on which contract is valid.

Meantime Pacquiao, in an interview on ABS-CBN NEWS claimed he had informed the WBC he was ready to fight Barrera in April next year.

Even as the WBC announced the suspension of the purse offer, promoter Don King has vehemently denied claims by Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach that King had called several times offering big money to promote the exciting Filipino fighter considered by many as the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world today.

King said the news stories which were given extensive coverage were “absolutely false in their entirety and have no merit whatsoever.” King insisted he never called or spoke to Pacquiao or anyone in his camp.