Sulaiman: Pacquiao Should Fight for a Belt, Not for Money!
Sulaiman: Pacquiao Should Fight for a Belt, Not for Money!
By Matt Goldstein
10/11/2007
By Matt Goldstein
10/11/2007
WBC President Implies that Pacquiao is Being Manipulated and that Nobody will remember him in 25 Years.
WBC President Jose Sulaiman said at the WBC convention that Manny Pacquiao should fight Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBC championship, and not fight someone else for more money. After reports circulated that Manny Pacquiao wants to fight whoever brings him the biggest purse, the WBC president responded. “I just hope that Manny Pacquiao fights for the WBC belt because that’s going to be the crowning of his glory. It’s now up to him to decide if he wants his name to be written in the history books. If he wants that, he will have to fight for the world title and if he doesn’t care that in 25 years, probably nobody will no longer remember him, that’s his prerogative." Sulaiman continued, "I don’t know who is manipulating him or if he has been manipulated. It is time that he opens his mind and his eyes and start thinking of himself." Sulaiman of course, could make no promise that if Pacquiao took his advice (and paid thousands of dollars to Sulaiman's organization in sanctioning fees), the WBC would not turn around and strip him for no reason, as it did to Joel Casamayor. As for nobody remembering Pacquiao in 25 years, that is ridiculous considering he is the biggest star in his country. At 130lbs, Juan Manuel Marquez is considered the champion and is clearly the most important fight in that division. Boxing fans are clamoring for Marquez-Pacquiao after their first outing was sensational, but ultimately ended in a draw. Marquez subsequently turned down 750K for the rematch, but now, three years later, he is clamoring for what is clearly his biggest payday. Pacquiao is rumored to be moving up in weight and fighting David Diaz for the WBC belt which was stripped from the real champion, Joel Casamayor, by the WBC. Source: Manila Bulletin   Â
