By Ronnie Nathanielsz
WBO junior bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel has fired his manager Gary Gittelsohn amidst turmoil in the champion’s camp and Golden Boy Promotions vice president and international matchmaker Eric Gomez said yesterday Montiel didn’t want to fight mandatory challenger and OPBF champion Z “The Dream” Gorres. As a result Golden Boy which promotes Gorres will be forced to go to a purse bid.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Gomez revealed that “after about a week of going back and forth with Montiel who first said yes, then said no, then came back and said yes. Finally I got a phone call on Friday and they turned the fight down.”
Gomez said the title fight was scheduled for December 9 at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Arizona but Montiel fired Gittelsohn, the same manager of Brian Viloria, and informed Gimez they wanted to go to a purse bid.
Gomez said he told the Montiels “here is an opportunity to do the fight in the United States and if we go to a purse bid Mr. Tony Aldeguer is a very respected businessman in the Philippines and money wont be an issue with him. If he wins the purse bid I can guarantee you the fight will be in the Philippines.”
Since they could not reach an agreement with the Montiel camp Gomez said they would ask for a purse bid. Gomez said Golden Boy had attended the WBO convention and were told they had a mandatory title shot but he was non-plussed as to why Montiel apparently didn’t want to tangle with the flashy Filipino southpaw.
