Ford replaces Tucker as judge in Pacquiao-Morales, Sulaiman calls Bob Arum nasty and greedy.
By Rey Danseco
The former chairman of Nevada State Athletic Commission who favored Marco Antonio Barrera twice in two of the three fights against Erik Morales, was tapped as the substitute in Morales’ third meeting against Manny Pacquiao today in Las Vegas.
In exclusive interview yesterday, World Boxing Council (WBC) president Jose Sulaiman revealed that Duane Ford will replace Doug Tucker as one of the ringside judge in the “Grand Finale” at the Thomas and Mack Center.
“He (Tucker) was not available,” Sulaiman reasoned for Ford’s entrant on Tucker’s shoes.
Ford will join the original choice judges for the Pacquia-Morales 12-round rumble, American Glenn Towbridge and Italian Guido Cavalleri. The third man in the ring will be referee Vic Drakulich, who on the other hand refereed Morales’ two important victories that led for his superstardom.
Drakulich was the closest man when the “El Terrible” captured his third title in different weight division, the WBC super featherweight title and when he unified the IBF version of the crown from Carlos Hernandez in his back-to-back appearance in February and July 2004 respectively.
Ford, also a former president of the Association of Boxing Commissions in the United States, caused the split decision when Morales beat Barrera in their initial bout in February 2000.
In the rematch in July 2002, Ford went along his fellow judges to give Barrera a unanimous decision wins over Morales in their WBC featherweight title fight.
Sulaiman said their representative in the fight will be Texas-native lawyer Robert Lenhardt, a WBC legal counsel and member of the WBC Board of Governors.
Sulaiman admitted that he was pissed off by Bob Arum’s refusal to honor the fight as “final eliminator”. And with that, he will not be at ringside as well as WBC international championship chairman Mauro Betti of Italy.
“Bob Arum did not reserve a seat for Mauro Betti, nor from me, but I had decided to cancel my attendance, as I am not inclined to go to where I am not welcomed,” Sulaiman told this writer.
Aside from Pacquiao-Morales fight, there are two other Filipinos who will fight for WBC diadems.
Brian Viloria aims to bring back the WBC light flyweight title to his native Philippines from Omar Nino Romero while 18-year old Bernabe “Iron Man from Manila” Concepcion takes on Joksan Hernandez for the the vacant WBC Youth super bantam title.
Sulaiman revealed that veteran referee Joe Cortez will be the third man in Viloria-Romero fight and the judges will be Americans Cariol Castellano and Dave Moretti and Puerto Rican Samuel Conde.
The well respected Mexican official said the decision will be on Pacquiao whether he would accept the rematch against Barrera should he beat Morales.
“It will be a matter of Manny Pacquiao accepting his fight to be as a final elimination. Everything else can go to hell,” said Sulaiman. “The WBC will not hurt an innocent person (Pacquiao) for the insisting of a promoter (Arum) in being so nasty.
“The WBC is not a beggar looking for money that we do not deserve. None of us have any compensation for what we do for boxing, and if the greediness of a promoter (Arum) does not allow the WBC to implement its ruling, we will still support the boxer or boxers who abide by the WBC rules,” said Sulaiman.
