MANILA, Philippines — Inamin ng pangulo ng World Boxing Council (WBC) na nagkamali siya sa paglalagay kay Manny Pacquiao sa No. 5 ranking ng mga welterweight fighters.
Sa isang video na ipinoste ng Fight Hub TV, sinabi ni WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman na babawiin nila ang pagpupuwesto kay Pacquiao bilang fifth-ranked contender kay WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
Ito ay sa kabila ng naunang pagbibigay ng WBC chief ng basbas para hamunin ni Pacquiao si Barrios sa July 19 sa MGM Grand sa Las Vegas (July 20 Manila time).
“The World Boxing Council regulations allow legendary boxers who receive a license from a boxing commission and who pass all their exams to compete for the title,” paliwanag ni Sulaiman.
Ang paglalagay ng WBC kay Pacquiao sa isang high ranking spot na magbibigay sa Pinoy boxing legend ng pagkakataong lumaban para sa titulo ay tinuligsa ng boxing community.
Ito ay dahil apat na taon nang hindi lumalaban si Pacquiao.
Huling lumaban si Pacquiao noong 2021 nang matalo siya kay Yordenis Ugas kasunod ang kanyang pagreretiro.
“We made a mistake in ranking him No. 5, and that caused confusion among the media and fans, obviously saying, Why is he ranked if he hasn’t fought?” What happened is that permission was granted, the fight was authorized, and we’ll talk again on July 20 to see how it went,” ani Sulaiman.
“I think we’re going to remove him from the rankings with the clarification that he will fight based on the regulations,” dagdag nito. — Dino Maragay