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WORLD
Boxing Organization (WBO) super featherweight champion
Joan Guzman yesterday accepted the offer of Top Rank
Inc. for him to face Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao
in October.
In an
official press statement released by his manager Jose
Nuñez, Guzman expressed his willingness to slug it out
with Pacquiao, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters
in the world today.
“We
haven’t outpriced ourselves, we have agreed to the terms
that Top Rank has presented us with last Wednesday and
we are ready and willing to take on Pacquiao whenever he
pleases,” said Nuñez in a release posted by popular web
site boxingconfidential.
Nuñez
disclosed that despite the ongoing litigation regarding
Pacquiao’s promotional deal, the Guzman camp already has
the permission of Golden Boy Promotions (GBP).
Pacquiao
is in the middle of a celebrated court case after he
signed similar promotional deals, first with GBP
September of last year then about two months later with
Top Rank Inc.
Golden
Boy Promotions and Sycuan Ringside Promotions also
approved of the bout and are supporting any decision
Team Guzman may make regardless of any current legal
issues occurring between GBP and Top Rank, added the
statement.
No
Choice
PACQUIAO
will have no other choice but to attend the scheduled
deposition tomorrow in Los Angeles.
The
country’s current boxing sensation wanted to reschedule
the deposition to another date as he plans to return
home today from Los Angeles.
But
according to the boxer’s confidante Rex Wakee Salud,
lawyers of Top Rank Inc. were able to convince Pacquiao
to attend the court date.
Pacquiao
has been in the United States for about two weeks now to
give his family a much-needed break by strolling in some
of the scenic spots in Orlando and New York.
Pacquiao,
who lost in his congressional bid in the last May
elections, accepted the 2006 Fighter of the Year trophy
from the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of
America last weekend in Canastota, New York.
He was
also present at the Madison Square Garden where he
witnessed the nasty seventh-round beating his brother
Bobby took from Mexican hopeful Humberto Soto.
GBP
owner and boxing superstar Oscar Dela Hoya, Arum and
several other personalities already had their date with
the court for their own deposition proceedings.
Pacquiao’s Filipino lawyer Franklin Gacal, who was
present in both the controversial contract signings,
will have his own deposition proceedings later this
week.
As soon
as all personalities involved gets their affidavits
officially submitted, key figures of Top Rank and GBP
will then be asked to appear in a court ordered
arbitration.
The
scheduled mediation is the last step to a possible
settlement and avoid going into what is expected to be a
tedious and costly litigation.
Salud
added that GBP seems bent in pursuing the lawsuit
believing that they have a winnable case against Arum.
GBP’s
battery of lawyers got a big boost as it hired the
services of top sports lawyer Judd Burstein, who
represented several duped boxers who eventually won
cases against unscrupulous managers and promoters.
One of
Burstein’s clients was Pacquiao himself who three years
ago got his freedom from American promoter Murad
Muhammad in their so-called airtight promotional deal.
In a
twist of fate, Burstein will now be one of the topnotch
lawyers of GBP that will try to pin down Pacquiao and
his now favored promoter in Arum. |
