This past January, the cretins at the WBA elected to demote “super” welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao to “champion in recess,” citing “Pac-Man’s” lack of defenses since beating Keith Thurman for the belt in July 2019. This move bumped “world” champion Yordenis Ugas into Pacquiao’s old position, but when Pacquiao announced his upcoming August 21st clash with Errol Spence Jr., he also filed to be reinstated.
Over the weekend, WBA chief cretin Gilberto Mendoza confirmed that their regulations did not permit Pacquiao to get his spot back, and MP Promotions’ Sean Gibbons has now released an angry tirade disguised as a press release.
“I can tell you what Manny didn’t receive – DUE PROCESS AND RESPECT,” said Sean Gibbons, president of MP Promotions. “It took two years to get the world title belt he earned inside the ring by beating the undefeated Super Champion Keith Thurman. Hell, Manny only received that belt on Saturday. The WBA never inquired about Manny’s title defense plans. The WBA never warned us Manny’s Super Champion status could be in jeopardy. The WBA never informed us that Manny had been designated its Champion in Recess. We had to read the WBA’s press release on that on the internet. And speaking of Keith Thurman, the WBA had no concern about his lack of activity when he went over 22 months between title defenses (Danny Garcia on March 4, 2017, and Josesito Lopez on January 26, 2019). Recess is over. The two best fighters in the welterweight division are facing each other. It should be celebrated and properly recognized. The Ring is even blessing the winner as its welterweight champion. This is not a sanctioning group. It is a used car lot. Take my advice. Before paying the WBA a sanctioning fee, kick the tires and read the warranty. Perhaps their new slogan should be Caveat Emptor.”
On the one hand, this was actually the right move, as it would be unjustifiably dickish to Ugas. On the other, well…
Gibbons, fresh off his starring role in the collapse of Nonito Donaire vs. John Riel Casimero, is making a critical error in assuming the WBA cares one iota about consistency. Mahmoud Charr was their “world” champion for more than three years without a single title defense as Don King pretended to try and stage his fight with Trevor Bryan. Mike Wilson, a career cruiserweight, is scheduled for a heavyweight final eliminator. Leo Santa Cruz got to fight an unranked featherweight for the “super” super featherweight title and hasn’t defended his featherweight belt since February 2019.
They didn’t strip Pacquiao because it was the right thing to do, they did it so they could squeeze larger sanctioning fees out of the ostensibly more-active Ugas in his fights going forward. That it was correct was accidental at best.
Gilberto Mendoza is a lying piece of garbage. His entire organization is garbage. The sooner people stop treating them as anything but garbage, the better.