Efforts are underway by the World Boxing Association (WBA) to hand over the welterweight title strap to Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino eight-division champion’s American consigliere told Daily Tribune yesterday.
“Trust the process,” MP Promotions chief Sean Gibbons said from Los Angeles, noting that he had met with WBA president Gilberto Mendoza in Las Vegas over the weekend and raised the issue about Pacquiao’s return to the top of the boxing body’s 147-lb class.
Mendoza assured Gibbons that the governing body is going “to work things out” after it stripped Pacquiao last January for inactivity.
Pacquiao is scheduled to clash with undefeated American Errol Spence, holder of the World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) crowns that will be at stake on 21 August in Las Vegas.
Should the WBA return Pacquiao the belt, the Spence showdown will be a three-belt fight with the WBC and IBF on the line to go with the WBA.
For it to be given back, the WBA’s inner circle will deliberate on the matter although it appears it’s only a matter of time before that happens.
Pacquiao, 42, had won the WBA’s Super title by beating Keith Thurman in July 2019.
Owing to the pandemic, Pacquiao was unable to defend the title, forcing the WBA to cite a certain provision in its by-laws that called for his stripping although it wasn’t totally a stripping.
The WBA said it only placed Pacquiao under “Champion-in-Recess” and that he could get it back provided he beat the WBA’s handpicked foe.
But with Spence, considered as one of the best in the world regardless of weight, risking his twin titles against Pacquiao, the WBA has been put in an uncompromising situation.
To formalize the request, a letter from Gibbons has been forwarded to the WBA, asking that Pacquiao be awarded back the crown that was taken away from him.
In the event the WBA gives it back, the number of reigning Filipino world champions becomes six.
Nonito Donaire has just joined the fray after knocking out Frenchman Nordine Oubaali in four rounds in Carson, California, joining John Riel Casimero, Jerwin Ancajas, Vic Saludar and Rene Cuarto on the list.
“I don’t think there was never a time in Philippine boxing history that you’ve got this number of current (world) champions,” Gibbons said.
Interestingly, on 19 June in Las Vegas, another Filipino fighter is gunning to become No. 7 when Michael Dasmariñas faces Naoya Inoue.
“This looks like a Golden Age in Philippine boxing,” Gibbons added.
