Viloria May Land on Cotto-Malignaggi

By Rey Danseco

Promoter Gabriel Elorde Jr.’s bid to have his ward Juanito Rubillar secure a mandatory fight for the World Boxing Council light flyweight title has paid off.

WBC president Jose Sulaiman has declared that March 6 until the first week of April, is the time frame for the free negotiations between Elorde, Rubillar’s manager, and Viloria’s handler, Gary Gittelsohn, for the mandated title defense.

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"The World Boxing Council is informing all parties that the free negotiations period for the mandatory defense of champion Brian Viloria against Juanito Rubillar, for the WBC light flyweight title, started on March 6," said Sulaiman in a letter to both camps.

The longtime WBC head made it clear that if Elorde and Gittelsohn fail to reach an agreement, there will be a purse bidding on April 7 at the WBC Executive Offices in Mexico City.

Elorde has a standing offer of staging the fight on May 6 at their family-owned 3,000-seat Elorde Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque City.

The eldest son of the great "Flash" Elorde has assured the WBC that Viloria will earn $150,000 with round-trip airplane tickets and free hotel accommodations and meals for up to four people composing his team.

Under the WBC rules in the free negotiation stage, Gittelsohn can either accept the offer, let Elorde stage the fight or make a counteroffer with a higher purse for Rubillar to set the all-Filipino championship fight anywhere he wanted.

Without reaching an agreement within the period, the American may also agree with Elorde’s offer or bid a higher amount that will be split 75 percent to the champion and 25 percent to challenger.

WBC Executive Secretary Mauricio Sulaiman, Jose Sulaiman’s son, told this writer that they fulfilled their promise to Elorde on February 22 by telling Gittelsohn about his offer. But the American has yet to respond.

"We did send them the message, but no answer was received," the young Sulaiman said.

Gittelsohn is reportedly inclined to find a more lucrative fight for the "Hawaian Punch." He was recently informed by Viloria’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, about a possible unification fight with International Boxing Federation light flyweight champ Ulises Solis, a Mexican fighter under the auspices of Fernando Beltran and former three-time champ Erik Morales.

Arum has reserved a slot for the Viloria-Solis fight in the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Paul Malignaggi tiff for the World Boxing Organization light welterweight title.