WBA hits Phl anew

I won’t shell out $25,000 for less than a regular (world) title

Does the World Boxing Association (WBA) have an ax to grind with the Philippines?

Last month, the Venezuela-based governing body stripped Manny Pacquiao of the welterweight crown for inactivity.

Although the WBA didn’t totally take the title away from the Filipino legend — having relegated him to “Champion in Recess” — it installed Cuban Yordenis Ugas as the new champion in the 147-lb class.

Pacquiao was unable to make a defense of the title owing to the pandemic but the WBA maintained even that couldn’t protect champions like the eight-division titleholder from being stripped.

Alarmed by Pacquiao’s demotion, Games and Amusements Board (GAB) chair Abraham Mitra immediately wrote the WBA a letter, requesting that the agency be enlightened about Pacquiao’s relegation.

As of yesterday, the GAB’s letter went unanswered.

As this developed, Mitra was also surprised by the WBA’s move to label last Saturday’s title clash between Filipinos Vic Saludar and Robert Paradero as a bout for the interim WBA minimumweight crown.

Salud ar won by split decision as the South Co tab a to native bagged his second world title to go with the World Boxing Organization crown that he took a few years ago.

But foreign news outlets, and even the WBA website, reported that Saludar’s victory was only for the interim championship, and not for the regular title.

Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde, who promoted the match, told Daily Tribune that he paid a sanction fee of $25,000 commensurate with the regular title’s classification. “I won’t shell out $25,000 for less than a regular (world) title,” Elorde said. Even Mitra admitted to being stunned when he learned Saludar’s win was only for the interim crown.

Interestingly, Mitra was assigned as fight supervisor of the Saludar-Paradero showdown held in Biñan, Laguna.

“I will discuss this with the (GAB) boxing division,” Mitra said. The W BA lists Th am ma noon Ni yo mt ron g of Thailand, who is also known as Knock out CP Freshmart, as its minimumweight champion, having last fought in March last year.

It is uncertain whether the WBA will order the Thai to face Saludar or drop him like Pacquiao and declare Saludar as the new champion.

The Philippines has produced 43 world champions, many of them in the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation and a sprinkling in the World Boxing Organization.