SINCE boxing is the talk of the town these days simply because of the Pacquiao-Morales fight on March 20 in Las Vegas, then let’s talk about boxing. But let me digress a bit by zeroing in on Asian boxing in particular.
You may not know it yet but Manny Pacquiao is set to receive $1.750 million in his fight with Erik Morales.
Some 25 percent of that will be distributed to his manager Shelley Finkel, promoter Murad Muhammad, trainer, masseur, towel boy and other hands in Pacquiao’s camp to include chauffeurs and other plain kibitzers that Pacquiao may wish to reward for their services, unwanted or otherwise.
Even someone from out of the blue handing Pacquiao a toothpick could earn a fortune at the flick of a finger.
I know these things because I have been in the fight business too long that I even know if there’s a rat in the Pacquiao camp trying to leak fight strategies to the opponent.
Boxing is so dirty it has been called by Jimmy Cannon the “red light district of sports.”
Ever wondered why Pacquiao would now receive a million-dollar plus purse?
Because HBO is in the fight?
Nah.
Because Pacquiao has become world celebrity?
Nah.
Because the Morales magic still sells?
Nah.
Pacquiao has breached the million-dollar mark because it is in America where he is fighting.
How many times has he fought in the land of milk and honey? Three times? Four times?
And in all of those fights, he had impressed upon the American public that he’s got what it takes to be a world champion. His 11-round destruction alone of Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003 threw America into a frenzy.
Where did this punching machine come from, America kept asking.
Promoters and matchmakers would soon suddenly find themselves falling in line to lure Pacquiao to star in their fight cards.
In contrast, I have yet to see Japan, Asia’s No. 1 fight promoter, dangle a purse anywhere close to $500,000 to a champion/challenger. Through the years, the standard champion/challenger take was $250,000. A $300,000-purse was considered a bonanza already.
Why this is so is a question begging for answers.
Is boxing in Asia controlled by a clique similar to the Mafia of America, specifically New York?
The most popular boxing promoters/managers of Asia come from Japan — Honda and Joe Koizumi.
You recall that when Luisito Espinosa beat Oscar Rios of Argentina to retain his world crown in General Santos City in 1997, Espinosa failed to collect his purse of $150,000.
Espinosa’s manager then was Koizumi, who also loves to call himself a journalist but nobody believes him anyway, including Japan’s media moguls.
Up to this day, Espinosa has yet to collect even a single cent from that $150,000-purse. And Koizumi, now the manager of Filipino Randy Suico, hasn’t even lifted a finger to recover that amount.
Just peanuts for Koizumi that’s why it’s not worth his while collecting it?
Espinosa has filed a case but, sadly, Koizumi is not with him in what Espinosa, 37, now labels “the fight of my life.”
The case is still pending at a Manila court, rotting, it seems, in the hands of a second judge seemingly not too interested also in resolving it in the quickest possible time.
Oh, well, what else is new?
Over here, justice is so slow it can get to the moon quicker than an ant.
But going back to Asian boxing — boxing promotions in Asia to be exact.
Indeed, how come our boxers receive purses in Asia that are excessively low compared to those being given in America?
I believe a call is in order to review the fight scene in Asia.
Will such powerful boxing bodies, like World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA), step in, please, and start digging the records? How about a full-length, well-researched article on this by Ring Magazine, the bible of world boxing?
Somebody has to make the first move.
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FASTBREAK. On March 20, Pampanga residents can watch the Pacquiao-Morales fight live on Pay-Per-View worth only P200. A first in the Philippines, the service is from Channel 67 of ACCTN’s Comclark Network. Call Dennis Anthony Uy’s staff at (045)-3235215 or (045)-8928890 for more details … Oops! Jun Jun Plana and Bong Brobio were also part of the winning Manila Southwoods team in the recent 58th PAL Interclub in Bacolod City.
