By Mark Vester
Earlier today at the WBO headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the purse bids were submitted for the lightweight bout between champion Nate Campbell and mandatory contender Joel Casamayor.
Promoter Don King beat out Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions for the promotional rights to the fight. King placed a purse bid of $1,220,000, more than doubling De La Hoya's bid of $571,000. The split, according to the WBO, will be a 50/50 between Casamayor and Campbell.
King told the WBO that August 27 is the target date for the fight, with the event landing in Florida, England or Las Vegas. The WBO gave King has until Thursday, May 29 at 4:00pm EST, to send the fight contract to Golden Boy. All parties must have their contracts signed in five (5) business days, and the WBO must receive the signed contract no later than Tuesday, June 3rd by 4:00pm EST.
The WBO ordered that if Nate Campbell fails to comply by not signing the contract, Casamayor, the sanctioning body's interim champ, would immediately become the full champion. If Casamayor fails to sign the contract, then Campbell would be free to make an optional defense while the next mandatory challenger is determined.
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