The addition of former light flyweight champion Rodel Mayol to the undercard of Manny Pacquiao?s upcoming fight with Shane Mosley didn?t raise many eyebrows among casual fight fans.
As nondescript as the announced eight-round bout may seem, however, speculation surrounds whether it serves as a reason why San Leandro?s Nonito Donaire never appeared on any of his fellow Filipino?s undercards despite being a Top Rank stablemate since 2007.
While Pacquiao himself is promoted by Top Rank, it seems that any Filipino fighter who wishes to earn a coveted slot on the schedule must go the route of Mayol, a client of the superstar?s MP Promotions outfit. Bernabe Concepcion, Dennis Laurente, and Richie Mepranum are examples of boxers who have donned the MP logo on their trunks and have subsequently been rewarded with bouts on Pacquiao?s undercards in the past.
MP will enjoy co-promoter status with Top Rank for this Saturday?s show, one that is predicted to generate around two million pay-per-view buys and provide invaluable exposure for the fighters who appear on the undercard. Donaire, currently mired in a legal battle to leave Top Rank for rival Golden Boy, has indicated that spurning Pacquiao advisor Michael Koncz, a partner in MP, might have had something to do with his omission from fighting last November on Pacquiao?s last show against Antonio Margarito, another Top Rank-MP co-promoted affair.
?We found out through Top Rank?s head that it was Koncz who pulled me out of the fight,? the bantamweight champion explained to me in February before his victory over Fernando Montiel.
Donaire?s manager, Las Vegas-based Cameron Dunkin, provided more details via phone yesterday.
?Koncz approached Nonito at a press conference and said that he should sign with MP,? said Dunkin, referring to a 2008 incident. ?But we had already signed with Top Rank. I can?t blame them because it?s their show, but we?ve wanted to be on the undercard since then, and it hasn?t happened.?
In March, Koncz explained to BoxingScene?s Lem Satterfield that the ?substantial expense in the purses? to bankroll a Donaire undercard bout would exceed their overall budget, indicating that his omission was ?nothing personal.?
When asked if it were necessary for a Filipino fighter to sign with MP in order to appear on a Pacquiao fight night, however, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum was unequivocal with his response.
?If you?re a Philippine fighter, yes,? said Arum via phone this afternoon. ?Remember, Manny Pacquiao?s company is co-promoters with me for all of these fights, so they have the right to say that I just want my own fighters who are signed with me to be on the undercard. What?s wrong with that??
Arum has spearheaded Pacquiao?s transformation from talented champion to crossover idol. On the other hand, it took three long years for Donaire to really be appreciated by the boxing world. In retrospect, would showcasing the ?Filipino Flash? before the main event in Cowboys Stadium last November have sped up the process?
?Absolutely, but I have a partner in MP Promotions,? answered Arum. ?I have to listen to what he has to say when it comes to Filipino fighters. It?s the way I would expect when it came to American fighters.?
Team Donaire isn?t alone in their sentiment regarding Koncz?s influence.
?If it?s a Top Rank card and Manny Pacquiao has his promotion company, MP can?t just automatically throw their own guys on, but they do have an obligation to get their guys paychecks,? said Vince Parra, manager and trainer of unbeaten lightweight Mercito Gesta.
Gesta originally accompanied Mayol from the Cebu province of the Philippines when Koncz recruited the pair to leave home for America.
?Mercito and Rodel came together, but I feel like Koncz for some reason didn?t like Mercito?s work ethic and he let Mercito go,? said Parra.
Since then, Gesta signed a promotional contract with Don Chargin and has become one of boxing?s hottest undefeated prospects, shedding any qualms about his training habits in his ascension up the world rankings. Still, he has yet to become a household name among fight fans.
Mayol, on the other hand, has received no less than three world title shots since associating with MP Promotions. Nonetheless, he was critical of the company before he had secured Saturday?s fight. Almost all of Mayol?s title shots and defenses have taken place outside of the Philippines on soil sympathetic to his opponents, like Puerto Rico, New York, and Mexico.
“Manny (Pacquiao) is very helpful, but they don’t have a manager or proper management at MP Promotions to take care of their fighters,? said Mayol in a February interview with the Filipino Sports Examiner. ?The only time MP has fights is when Manny fights, then they put fighters on Manny’s undercard.?
Of course, the most logical question becomes why hasn?t Donaire then cut out the middleman and take up the issue with Pacquiao himself?
?With me and Manny, we?ve been friends for a long time,? said Donaire. ?Every time we see each other in Manila, we always get lunch. We get dinner. So there?s really nothing that goes down behind it. So for me, I just don?t want give Manny more trouble and asking him, ?Why is Koncz saying this? Why is Koncz saying that?? ?
The world bantamweight champion further explained his stance.
?[Manny] has the Philippines to worry about,? said Donaire. ?He has his fights to worry about. He has his family to worry about. I don?t want to be another thing to make him worry. I told him before, ?Why was I taken off in the fight?? He said, ?I don?t know. Nobody told me that. I?ve never done anything.? He clarified that to me. He said, ?I would never do that.? ?
Donaire?s manager agrees that Pacquiao is not the problem.
?I don?t think?you know what, I know Manny doesn?t know any of this stuff,? said Dunkin. ?Nonito loves Manny and supports him 1,000 percent. Even on TV after he beat Montiel, Nonito said, ?Without Manny, I wouldn?t be here. Manny opened the door for all of us. We all owe Manny.? Nonito loves him.?
Ultimately, despite the pugilistic politics involved in his absence from Manny Pacquiao?s undercards, Donaire has been able to emerge from his shadow and pave his own way in the sport. But one can only wonder how much brighter his star would be today had he been given the opportunities in the limelight early on.
?Would it have helped Nonito?s career grow in the Philippines if they had been watching him knock out [Raul] Martinez on Manny?s undercard? Sure, but it just didn?t happen,? said Dunkin. ?There?s no hard feelings. I just want to get him fighting again.?
Ryan Maqui?ana is member of the Boxing Writers Association and a regular contributor to CSNBayArea.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rmaq28
