THERE?S a wonderful photo of new champion Johnreil Casimero circulating online of his recent victory against Amnat Ruenroeng. Casimero, who burst into Philippine boxing?s consicousness in that melee-marred fight in Argentina, stopped Ruenrong in four rounds in China.
That was a rematch of their dirty fight last year, when, if you are to believe the reports, Ruenroeng?s camp rewrote the book on dirty fighting in Thailand. That the rematch was held in China and not in Ruenroeng?s hometown and the referee was veteran Tony Weeks show that yes, those reports have merit.
The photo shows Ruenroeng, down on the canvas, his hand on the ropes and Casimero right in front of him, his tongue stuck out. I could even imagine what he was thinking.
?Mirisi nimo.?
Casimero, for all he has gone through, deserves everything he has.
However, I hope his victory and that of the Manny Pacquiao last May can put the limelight on the relationship between boxers and managers and how the government can help and making sure no one is taken advantage of.
I?m not saying Casimero?s management is taking advantage of him; I am just highlighting the fact that the former champion was inaction for quite sometime because of the battle between two camps on who has managerial rights over him—Sammy Gello-ani or that of the Omega boxing group.
And no one knows this situation best than Manny Pacquiao, who at one point was the subject of a promotional battle between Golden Boy Promotions, who gave him a $500,000 signing bonus, and Top Rank Promotions, which eventually won the battle.
Who?s right or who?s wrong in Casimero?s case is for the court to decide, as it is now the subject of a case, but I hope this would be the last time a boxer and manager is taken to court because of such disagreement. Perhaps, Manny can ensure that future contracts of boxers should spell out everything? So boxers know what they are getting into?
Because of their limited education, boxers tend to get taken advantage of, that?s a practice almost as old as the sport itself. The limelight being enjoyed by boxing, because of Manny Pacquiao?s rise, has gotten more Pinoys in the sport and more greedy managers too. During informal gathering, when lips are loosened by alcohol, I hear tales of boxers getting ripped by managers by as much as 80 percent of their purse. Aside from their rightful cut, some charge everything and I mean everything, against the boxer?s purse and those who risk life and limb in the ring end up with what, 30 percent of the agreed purse?
The US has the Muhammad Ali act to protect boxers from greedy managers; the Philippines only have the GAB, which, frankly, is all gab and nothing else. It has done nothing to protect the boxers.
I hope Manny can change that.
