WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king Manny Pacquiao will vacate the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt that he won with November's unanimous decision over ex-champion Antonio Margarito, this, on the eve of a potential lawsuit by WBC president Jose Sulaiman for past, overdue sanctioning fees.
The 32-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) will pursue his 14th straight victory and his ninth stoppage win during that time when he puts his WBO belt on the line against three-division, five-time champion, Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) in a May 7, Top Rank Promotions, Showtime televised bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao was out-weighed, 168-to-145, by Margarito, and was hospitalized with rib damage following the bout.
"We learned from experience in the Margarito fight that giving away 10 to 15 pounds during fight night is very detrimental to the safety of Manny," Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, told Ronnie Nathanielz of BoxingScene.com.
"Because of those basic concerns we have no intention for Manny to fight at 154. From this day forward, the maximum weight would be 147 pounds," said Koncz, who will send "a thank you letter" stating how much they "appreciate what the WBC has done and that Manny wants to free the belt so that others have the opportunity to proudly wear the WBC belt."
In response to sanctioning fees owed to the WBC,BoxingScene.com's Michael Marley also reported that Sulaiman has sent a letter threatening legal action.
Pacquiao apparently owes $30,000 for his disputed split-decision victory over current WBA and WBO king Juan Manuel Marquez in March of 2008, and another $50,000 for his eigth-round stoppage of Oscar De La Hoya in December of 2008.
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Topic: Manny Pacquio Will Abandon WBC Belt (Read 1017 times)