By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation minimum weight champion and WBC No. 1 ranked Rodel Mayol is expected to leave for Japan along with former world flyweight champion Malcom Tunacao next week after signing up with respected Japanese businessman and boxing enthusiast Yasuo Matsuoka who runs a gym in Tokyo, effectively assuring his future.
Mayol who was handled by Joy Ouano and American Terry Carter who run the Stonewall Boxing Gym in Liloan, Cebu was released to Matsuoka whose wife Gina is a Filipina, during an official signing ceremony at Café Uno of the plush Waterfront Hotel in Lahug with this columnist as witness last June 10.
Mayol told Viva Sports which covered the signing of the transfer “I am sad to leave my management team but this is a decision I had to make. I am confident that under my new manager my dream of fighting for the world title will come true. I will do my best to give our country a world title.”
WBC president Jose Sulaiman and his son Mauricio who is executive secretary of the world’s leading boxing organization responded positively to a request from this columnist to rank Mayol No. 1 and have retained his rating despite “strong protests” from a Japanese bloc which Standard Today learned was reportedly headed by the influential Akihiko Honda and matchmaker and journalist Joe Koizumi who manages OPBF super featherweight champion Randy Suico.
The Japanese duo were apparently angered when Ouano and Carter decided not to push through with an agreement for Honda to handle the career of Mayol after a long delay in signing the agreement and have been accused of trying to prevent Mayol from getting a world title shot.
In an email to Viva Sports, Mauricio Sulaiman said his father was “one hundred percent behind Mayol” and would support efforts to get the little Filipino a mandatory title shot against the winner of the Takayama-Eagle Kyowa championship bout later this year.
