WBC president Jose Sulaiman avoided a personal confrontation with Manny Pacquiao by training his gunsight on Michael Koncz and blasting away like Mexican dictator Generalissimo Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna?s cannons on the hapless defenders of the Alamo in 1836.
Sulaiman, a Mexican of Lebanese descent, publicly denounced Koncz for ?humiliating? the WBC as he spoke before his captive audience at the recent WBC convention in Chengdu, China.
Koncz was castigated by Sulaiman for writing a letter to the WBC in Pacquiao?s behalf suggesting a $20,000 fee for the Dec. 6 fight against Oscar de la Hoya. Sulaiman said the amount was an ?insult? to the WBC and announced the ?rightful? figure to be $100,000 or his estimate of 1.5 percent of Pacquiao?s purse.
For the record, the Pacquiao-De la Hoya fight is not for a WBC title. Neither fighter is requesting for WBC recognition because no WBC crown is at stake. The 12-round, non-title fight is sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Apparently, there is a WBC rule requiring WBC champions to pay 1.5 percent of their purse when they engage in non-title fights. The reason is they bring prestige to their fights, even if non-title, because of their recognition by the WBC and therefore, the governing body deserves a fee for it.
In strict terms, it is not a sanction fee. It is more like a ?tong.? The WBC is like a fat policeman waiting in a corner for a jeepney driver to pay a passage fee for the ?privilege? of picking up passengers. The cop can make life difficult for a jeepney driver if he doesn?t come across. Isn?t Sulaiman just like that fat cop with his palms out for greasing?
Because Pacquiao is a marquee attraction, Sulaiman chose not to pick a fight with him. Instead, he went after the messenger, cocked his shotgun and pressed the trigger.
Koncz never meant to disparage Sulaiman or the WBC. He could?ve chosen to ignore the WBC outright and nothing would?ve been said about him. But as Pacquiao?s shock absorber and shield, Koncz did the right thing to write the WBC.
Koncz started his letter with the usual courtesies, showing respect for the organization that Pacquiao picked to establish his legacy in the fight game. Of Pacquiao?s four world titles, three are of the WBC variety ? flyweight, superfeatherweight and lightweight.
Then, Koncz officially informed the WBC of Pacquiao?s fight against De la Hoya and the possibility of facing either Ricky Hatton or Floyd Mayweather in the first quarter of next year. He also mentioned the option of Pacquiao defending his WBC lightweight title under the assumption that the prescribed period within which to stake the crown is a year.
If the intention was to skirt paying the WBC a sanction fee for the De la Hoya bout, Koncz wouldn?t have even referred to it. In fact, he suggested a fee of $20,000 ? which raised a howl from Sulaiman.
Former WBC secretary-general Rudy Salud said the other day he was not aware of a rule stipulating a 1.5 percent fee for a fight that the governing body isn?t sanctioning. But if such a rule exists, he questioned the fairness of a flat percentage considering the enormity of purses today. Salud suggested a cap so as not to overtax fighters since the extent of the WBC?s benefits are limited anyway.
Koncz said 1.5 percent of Pacquiao?s purse for the De la Hoya fight is less than $100,000. He hinted that since it?s a non-title bout, a fee of not more than $40,000 would be reasonable. Reading between the lines, it seems Koncz quoted $20,000 as an initial bargaining amount. Unfortunately, the WBC took it in a bad way or was the interpretation deliberately malicious to put Pacquiao on the defensive?
Koncz shouldn?t be blamed for trying to protect Pacquiao?s interests. That?s his job. And if brickbats are thrown his way for shielding Pacquiao, Koncz will only be too happy to sacrifice himself. Koncz? loyalty to Pacquiao is unassailable.
As for the $30,000 that Pacquiao supposedly owes the WBC for the Juan Manuel Marquez fight last March, the scuttlebutt has it that the obligation is in fact outstanding.
A source said Top Rank?s accounting department has experienced a high rate of personnel turnover lately and it?s not inconceivable that a human mistake was made in computing for the WBC?s sanction fee.
WBC official Rex Walker reportedly informed Koncz of the shortfall before the David Diaz fight last March but they agreed to take it up after the bout. Since the WBC purportedly never issued a statement of account to Pacquiao regarding the obligation, the case was forgotten ? until it was brought to Sulaiman?s attention in Chengdu. A respectable organization like the WBC should?ve had the decency of properly informing Pacquiao of his debt through a statement of account instead of announcing it in a press conference to embarrass the world?s top fighter, pound for pound.
Sulaiman?s broadside was ill-advised and unfair. Although he flailed away at Koncz, it was clear his real target was Pacquiao.
At this stage of Pacquiao?s career, the WBC needs him more than he needs the WBC. If Pacquiao chooses to relinquish the lightweight crown, then it?s fight over for the WBC. If he later chooses to fight for another WBC title (perhaps, in the superlightweight category), do you think Sulaiman will turn his back on a pot of gold?
Sulaiman doesn?t only owe an apology to Pacquiao and the Filipino people. He also owes an apology to Koncz.
