WBC set to probe Espi’s case vs handlers

When the World Boxing Council holds its annual convention starting today in Thailand, one of the issues expected to be raised and draw the attention of its members is the fate suffered by former WBC featherweight champion Luisito Espinosa almost four years ago.

Espinosa, then the reigning champion, fought the sturdy Carlos Rios of Argentina in Koronadal, South Cotabato on Dec. 7, 1997 and went on to post a dramatic sixth round stoppage before his cheering countrymen.

But until now, Espinosa has yet to receive the balance of his fight purse amounting to $130,000, leading to civil and criminal complaints against former South Cotabato Gov. Larry de Pedro and boxing promoters Rod Nazario and Lito Mondejar.

According to boxing promoter Hermie Rivera, an amended complaint is being readied to include former Games and Amusements Board (GAB) chairman Dominador Cepeda and Joe Koizumi, Espinosa’s Japanese manager at the time of the fight.

Cepeda’s inclusion in the charge sheet was due to his "forcible insistence" to have the fight staged despite the non-payment of Espinosa’s full purse; Koizumi for his failure and inability to solve the problem and protect his fighter’s rights.

Since the court cases are expected to drag on, Rivera has recently brought the matter to WBC president Jose Sulaiman through the assistance of lawyer Rudy Salud, the former WBC secretary-general, and Jun Sarreal, a noted boxing promoter.

"This is the first time, if memory serves right, that a defending world champion (revered as an outstanding icon) was deliberately made a victim by crooked and colluding boxing personalities," said Rivera in his letter addressed to the WBC president.

"With the foregoing, I have sought... your attention to the above cited problem with the hope that somehow this blatant transgression of Louie’s rights won’t be repeated and his purse should be restituted soon," Rivera added.

In the same letter, Rivera explained to Sulaiman that the defendants have been invoking the failure of their financial backers to come across owing to the inability of their sponsors to pay the contracted television commitments.

Rivera, whose son Noel is now handling Espinosa’s comeback bid, described it as a lame excuse since the fault lies with the promoters in not being able to air the fight on national TV due to technical failures brought about by their own incompetence.

"Assuming that what the defendants are justifying as a reason for not paying Luisito... is not their doing, their culpability remains in that they (accused) are by law required to meet the terms of their contract, which heretofore remains valid," Rivera’s letter added.