Pacquiao in Jeopardy of Being Stripped by The WBC

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Games and Amusements Board chairman Eric Buhain has confirmed an earlier report that Manny Pacquiao owes the World Boxing Council $30,000 as sanction fee for his lightweight title bout against David Diaz and that he has been given 15 days to settle the obligation or risk being stripped of his title.

In an overseas telephone conversation with insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports, Buhain said the WBC Board of Governors was also insisting that under its rules Pacquiao is required to pay 1 ½ percent of his purse for the “Dream Match” against Oscar De La Hoya on December 6 even though no WBC title is on the line for the bout at a stipulated weight of 147 pounds.

Buhain said that according to a report at the on-going 46th WBC Convention in Chengdu , China , by president Jose Sulaiman, “Manny wrote them that he is only willing to pay $20,000” which they would have to discuss with Pacquiao.

Buhain said that the WBC was assessing Pacquiao a fee based on a possible $20 million income on the De La Hoya fight but that Golden Boy Promotions vice president and international matchmaker Eric Gomez “stood up and  said that while he is not the manager of Pacquiao and made that very clear, he thinks that Pacquiao will earn not even half of that” amount.

That was when the WBC decided on a possible amount of $100,000.  

Meantime, Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin “Jeng” Gacal told Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN that the responsibility of paying the WBC was not his but Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz even as Gacal said he would inform Pacquiao in the morning and he was sure the amount would be paid.  

Reuters in a report from Beijing said "Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao must cough up US$30,000 within the next 15 days or be stripped of his World Boxing Council lightweight title. The boxing body's governors, meeting in Chengdu, are demanding the fighter pay the sanctioning fees they say he owes, or they will take his belt.

Sulaiman was quoted as saying "Manny Pacquiao is a great champion and the pride of the WBC but he believes he is the ruler of the organization and that is not going to happen."

The report also said the WBC is also "insisting Pacquiao pay $100,000 within 15 days of his December 6 non-title fight against Oscar De La Hoya."
 
Our efforts to contact Don Jose Sulaiman in Chengu were unsuccessful since he was reported to be "very tired and resting."