keen on IBF champ Pacquaio

By Paul Upham: IBF super-bantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao, 33-2-1 (25), is becoming a favorite with HBO management after his gritty foul-filled six-round technical draw with WBO champion Agapito Sanchez in the co-feature to Floyd Mayweather Jr-Jesus Chavez last month in San Francisco.
“We came out with a draw and Pacquiao didn’t hurt his credibility, his credibility has escalated and HBO is now looking for a date in March for Manny Pacquiao,” said the Filipino’s promoter Murad Muhammad.“The people at HBO love him. They love his character in the ring and his ability and they are going to continue with him.”

Muhammad is looking to have Pacquiao appear again on HBO in March and then face the winner of Paulie Ayala and Bones Adams, who will fight a rematch on February 23.

“I think we will do something in March and then close a deal for the winner to fight for Pacquiao’s IBF title,” said Muhammad. “We would really like to fight the winner of Paulie Ayala and Bones Adams.”

For one of the longer serving promoters of recent time, WBO champion Agapito Sanchez’ behaviour in the ring shocked even Murad Muhammad who thought he had seen just about everything boxing has to offer in the last 25 years.

“Pacquiao, my heart goes out to him. Sanchez threw him out of an eighth floor window, ran down stairs and stomped him. He finally raised up to his feet and then Sanchez beat him up with a bat and said, ‘OK, lets box’,” said Muhammad.

“That kid Pacquiao said, ‘Come on, let’s fight.”

“He fought and he didn’t care anything about being thrown out the window, he didn’t care about being beat with a bat or stomped, he just got up with that one bad leg that Sanchez had taken him down with what I call a martial art move, taking his knee and striking it into the nerve of Pacquiao’s thigh, which freezes your whole leg. This kid Pacquiao had one leg and he still got up and still went out to fight.”

Muhammad was shocked that Sanchez was not disqualified for his tactics. “We knew that Sanchez was dirty and I brought it to the attention of the authorities and I asked the referee, who I know very well, Marty Denkin, not to allow this to happen. Well, it happened,” said Muhammad.

“If in fact I knew that Sanchez was as dirty as he was, I would honestly tell you I would not have allowed my champion to fight Sanchez. I never knew that Sanchez fights that dirty,” he added.

“This is the first time in my entire career that I didn’t enjoy myself at ringside. As a matter of fact, I was terrified. I thought he was going put this young man out of commission for the rest of his life. It was just ugly what Sanchez did. He used his head like a hammer, he put his gloves in Pacquiao’s eyes with the strings, he hit behind the head, he hit below the belt about fourteen times and he did everything that should not have been allowed.”

Muhammad was not the only person who felt Sanchez’ behaviour was way outside the rules - the IBF’s Championship Committee Chairman Joe Dwyer was in full agreement.

“A brutal bout. It was really a filthy fight. I would be very hard pressed to approve a rematch,” said Dwyer.

What would have been a IBF-WBO unification match turned into a nightmare, according to Muhammad, for Pacquiao and Sanchez.

“Pacquiao came through it. I feel sorry for the WBO because I represented to the IBF, do not bring old baggage, that everyone should get along. I salute the IBF President Marian Muhammad who went back with her Executive Committee and looked at the WBO and realised that there is some great champions and great contenders with the WBO,” said Muhammad.

“For the first time, the IBF sanctioned a unification so the WBO and the IBF would have been together if that fight would have went on as a normal fight. Of course, you know the outcome. Pacquiao would have most likely knocked out Sanchez and he would have been the unified champion. But it didn’t happen and I feel sorry for the WBO, it’s a disgrace to have Agapito Sanchez as their champion. I don’t know any network that would televise Agapito Sanchez again, so he has got his work cut out for him.”

Pacquiao, who also held the WBC flyweight title, turns 23 on December 17 and has been training in Los Angeles with Freddie Roach. He has a streak of toughness that cannot be coached, says Muhammad

“This kid is amazing. I looked at his eye and his legs and saw how he had all these welts and scars and I said, ‘You take 60 days off and rest and enjoy the holiday with your family.”

“He said, ‘Mr Muhammad, I’ll be ready in two weeks. Just bring me back Sanchez, but as long as I can wear a helmet on my head and a helmet on my groin.’”


Paul Upham
Contributing Editor