CHICAGO – Loyalty in boxing is more disposable than a pair of well-worn sparring gloves. Rex ?Wakee? Salud found that out recently when Jimrex Jaca tossed him by the wayside in the favor of Oscar Dela Hoya?s Golden Boy Promotions.
Money, tons of it, was the reason why Jaca?s allegiance made a quite nimble, hasty back flip.
For $50,000, he will fight Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBO featherweight title this Nov. 25.
If the 5-foot-7 southpaw had stayed with Salud and fought in the undercard of Pacquiao-Morales III this Nov. 18, his payday would have only been $7,500, reports say.
Jaca, 23, has a young wife and family to take care of for the rest of his life. I can?t begrudge him for selling his services, if not his loyalty, for $42,500. But no matter how pure his intentions are it is tainted by the deception that marked his defection.
How ironic, indeed. Jaca can take a punch against the best in his division. He can ignore pain and hostile conditions, yet he can?t seem to be man enough to look at his manager in the eyes, courteously say goodbye, before leaving amicably through the front door.
When Jaca went AWOL a couple of weeks ago, Salud didn?t need a psychic or the NBI to know that something was awfully wrong. And sure enough, Jaca surfaced in Los Angeles, reincarnating as a Golden Boy featherweight.
Those close to him acknowledge Salud to be tougher than a bucket of nails, but the knife of betrayal, stuck hard and deep into his back, softened Wakee like a love song.
?I was pained with what Jaca did because, in essence, I was instrumental in steering his professional boxing career to where it is now. I was responsible for transforming him from an obscure boxer into one of the hottest world champion prospects in the country today,? said Salud in a prepared statement.
Look, Wakee is no saint. But he doesn?t deserve to be discarded like a sinner, either. He has a managerial contract with Jaca until 2009 and that agreement can?t just be torn into shreds simply because a fatter, richer contract came along.
Jaca could explain his cause until his jaws hurt, but it still won?t make things right. Forget his father-son relationship with Wakee over the years, the crux of the matter here is that Jaca has a contract with Salud, a pact he chose not to honor.
A part of me is happy for Jaca. I?m sure $42,500 more will go a long way to make his life easier. But a part of me is sad, too, because sometimes on this green earth, the simple pleasures of friendships and loyalties are more valuable than money.
But then again, how can Jaca see all that when both his eyes are mesmerized by gold?s glitter?
E-MAILS. Aristotle Michael Liu (hotmail.com) of the United Kingdom e-mailed me to say that ?due to unforseen circumstances,? the Pacquiao-Morales III will not be telecast live in their part of the world.
So he asked if I know of any ?alternatives? in the world wide web, etc.
I?m sorry to tell you Michael that you don?t have any other option besides being at the mercy of your cable service provider.
Finally from Dr. Eugene Marc Villacrucis, a pediatrician practicing in the ?Bacayan area?: ?I enjoy reading your column, whether on the Internet or in the newspaper. You?re a great writer. Not only do you have excellent command of the English language, but you write with skilled discernment that I don?t see in some of our national sportswriters. Kudos! What can I say, but thanks a lot Doc.
