By Jhonny Gonzalez
In what could be a bantamweight war, WBA champion Anselmo "Chemita" Moreno (30-1-1, 10KOs) received an offer to face former WBC champion Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan. Moreno's manager, Roberto Grimaldo, confirmed the offer and is trying to work out a better deal for his fighter.
Grimaldo told reporter Jorge Olmos that the offer from Japan is "not that good" but they haven't ruled out the fight. Hasegawa's team made an offer of $200,000. Grimaldo wants his fighter to receive an amount that is closer to what Fernando Montiel received [$300,000] for his April four round knockout of Hasegawa.
Showtime's planned bantamweight tournament is still Moreno's priority, says Grimaldo. That option will likely get ruled out because Showtime appears to be going ahead with a four man elimination format and Hasegawa has no interest in the tournament.
