MANILA, Philippines – Working feverishly to avert a global blackball on Rodel Mayol for exposing shenanigans in boxing, Manny Pacquiao?s Canadian adviser Michael Koncz yesterday assured that the Mandaue fighter?s ring career is far from over and said he will try to arrange a world title shot before the year ends.
Mayol refused to fight WBA flyweight champion Hernan (Tyson) Marquez last weekend after a farcical weigh-in at Ciudad Obregon, Sonora where the Mexican was pronounced as making weight on his fourth attempt despite scaling two pounds over the limit only two or three minutes before.
?It was a matter of principle and I backed Rodel?s decision to withdraw 100 percent,? said Koncz who as the fighter?s business manager, witnessed the weigh-in fiasco and was appalled. ?The Mexican organizers offered a $10,000 increase in Rodel?s purse because in an overweight situation, the rule is you pay a penalty for every pound beyond the limit and that penalty is paid to your opponent. It wasn?t necessarily an admission that Marquez was overweight but at that stage, the organizers had no choice because we refused to go on with the fight. The organizers were desperate because fans paid money to watch Marquez fight. They didn?t want a refund situation.?
Koncz said as manager, it was his duty to inform Mayol of the organizers? offer. ?I didn?t push it and it wasn?t a bribe,? said Koncz who spoke to The Star in an overseas call. ?My position was I didn?t want to jeopardize my fighter and put him at an unfair disadvantage. No doubt, in my mind, I know Rodel could knock out Marquez but I didn?t want to tolerate this blatant act of cheating. They tried to make fools out of us. If they reasoned out with us, we would?ve listened. They could?ve admitted Marquez was overweight and given him the allowable two hours to lose weight. If after trying to reduce, he was still slightly over the limit then we could?ve discussed the alternatives and come up with a compromise. But the way they did it was just not right.?
Koncz said he spoke with Zanfer Promotions head Fernando Beltran the day after the weigh-in and cleared the air. Beltran, who is an influential figure in Mexican boxing and a close associate of Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, was not present at the weigh-in.
?We?ve always had a good relationship with Fernando,? said Koncz. ?If Fernando were at the weigh-in, this mess couldn?t have happened because he wouldn?t have allowed it. Fernando understood and respected our position. I?ll be leaving for Las Vegas in a few days and link up with promoters to talk about Rodel?s future. I plan to bring Rodel back to the Philippines, arrange a tune-up fight and get him ready for a bout the night before Manny takes on (Timothy) Bradley on June 9 or in the undercard. Personally, I?d like Rodel to headline a card as a main eventer and that could happen in a show the night before Manny?s fight. It could be for a world championship, it could even be for Marquez? title. Whatever happens, I see Rodel becoming a world champion again before the year ends.?
As for another Filipino Richie Mepranum substituting for Mayol against Marquez, Koncz explained principles weren?t compromised in agreeing to the switch. ?First, this had nothing to do with money,? he said. ?Richie was supposed to fight (Juan) Estrada in the undercard and when Rodel backed out of the Marquez bout, the organizers wanted another Filipino opponent because that?s what the fans were looking forward to. They offered Richie a title fight but I didn?t agree because that would mean accepting Marquez made weight. Richie and his team talked about the fight. The decision wasn?t made until a few hours before the fight. Richie felt since he had beaten Marquez before, he could do it again. The organizers made it a 10-round non-title fight which was consistent with our position that Marquez was overweight.?
Mepranum wound up facing Marquez and lost a unanimous 10-round decision. In the second round, the Filipino took a mandatory eight-count on a flash knockdown and got up none the worse for wear. After the fight, Mepranum approached Koncz to ask for a third meeting. ?Richie told me they?re now even at a win apiece and wants another chance, this time with the title on the line, to finish their trilogy,? said Koncz.
Mayol?s withdrawal meant he went back to Los Angeles without a paycheck. ?It was a big sacrifice for Rodel,? said Koncz. ?He made a brave stand to protect fighters from being exploited and prejudiced all over the world. The weigh-in was a joke. There were about 30 people on stage crowding us out while Marquez was declared as making weight. We saw him holding on to the scales and his feet hanging out. This wouldn?t have happened if Fernando were around. We couldn?t file a protest or demand that Marquez be stripped of the title because the WBA supervisor (Alberto Sarmiento of Venezuela) proclaimed that he had made weight. I argued that under IBF rules even if the WBA was the supervising body, fighters are weighed on the morning of the fight and they shouldn?t be more than 10 percent over the limit. Actually, I tried to save the fight without compromising our stand because I felt Rodel would?ve knocked out Marquez. But there were more important considerations. Rodel isn?t afraid of Marquez. He?ll fight him anytime, anywhere but conditions must be fair and square.?
Boxing quarters applauded Mayol and Koncz for their effort to preserve the integrity of the fight game. ?I spoke with Michael after the incident and he explained what he did to support Richie and me,? said Mayol. ?Now, I understand what happened. This wasn?t about money. This was about principles.?
