By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Undefeated pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. runs the risk of being stripped of his WBO welterweight title because he failed to inform the organization what his intentions were regarding the welterweight championship after he failed to meet a June 1 deadline to make his plans known. The deadline was imposed by the WBO headed by its president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel.
The issue surfaced when the WBO announced that the clash between former champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley and Jessie Vargas scheduled for June 27 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California was for the “vacant WBO welterweight title.”
One of Mayweather’s lawyers, Atty. John R. Hornewer, wrote a letter to the WBO in which he stated:
“For Mr. Mayweather to pick up the paper and read that another promotional company has announced that it is staging a bout for the same WBO title that Mr. Mayweather won in the ring, currently holds and has not relinquished was extremely disappointing for him and his team.”
Correspondent David Finger in an article in the Daily Mail Online reported the WBO Championship Committee headed by Luis Batista Salas will consider what amounts to a Mayweather petition although no date for the meeting has been set as yet.
The WBO wasted no time in responding to the letter of Atty. Hornewer in which Salas requested Mayweather in writing “on or before June 1, 2015” to make his intentions to keep the WBO belt known by complying with certain requirements in accordance with the WBO regulations of World Championship contests and asked that Mayweather Promotions “send a check in the amount of $200,000 corresponding to the sanctioning fee” for the May 2 “Fight of the Century” against then WBO champion Manny Pacquiao.
Salas also requested Mayweather for a signed letter “relinquishing his WBA/WBC 154 pound titles and stating his wish to keep his WBO welterweight title” which is in keeping with the WBO rules that prohibit a fighter from holding belts in multiple weight classes at the same time.”
WBO president Valcarcel also sought clarification from Mayweayher on his post-fight statement that he would relinquish all of his titles to allow other talented young fighters to vie for these world titles.