06.11.08 – by James Slater – It’s possible Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao is a fighter no longer too concerned with holding an alphabet title as a means to prove himself as the best boxer in his weight class. Pretty much accepted as the best fighter, pound-for-pound, on the planet right now, “Pac-Man” is not only the best lightweight according to the WBC..
This could be one of the reasons Pacquiao has (allegedly) neglected to keep up with his sanctioning fees; payments he must make to the WBC so as to hold onto their crown. In news that is making the rounds on the web right now, WBC boss Jose Sulaiman has claimed Manny owes his organisation a debt to the tune of $30,000, and that unless he pays the amount in 15 day’s time he will be stripped of his WBC 135-pound championship.
“If Pacquiao doesn’t want to do it, he goes his way and we go ours,” the WBC president said. “He is a friend but I feel bad because of the way we have been treated.”
Pacquiao’s lawyer said he would look into the matter and that if there is a legitimate debt it will be paid. He did add, however, that he has not received any formal request from the boxing organisation for payment of fees. How then, if this is the case, was Pacquiao supposed to keep up with what he does or doesn’t owe? After all, “Pac-Man” has more important things on his mind than the financial workings of the WBC.
Sulaiman spoke further on the matter.
“Pacquiao believes he is the ruler of the organisation and that is not going to happen,” Jose said. “He became famous fighting WBC champions like Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales and now he’s trying to kick us in the back and send us home. But the phone is there and the door is open.”
It’s curious that Sulaiman mentioned Barrera. “The Baby Faced Assassin,” if you recall, is one of the few fighters of recent years who chose to let the boxing organisation take away their title, as he refused to pay any extortionate sanctioning fees (for a time anyway). Perhaps Pacquiao will pay the $30,000 he owes and the matter will be quickly forgotten; or maybe the man who will make millions of $ fighting Oscar De La Hoya next month will do as Barrera did and rely on real fans and their knowledge of the sport to recognise him as the best in the world at his weight.