Did GAB drop the ball lately?
This corner received an e-mail a couple of days ago saying that 21-year-old boxer Eugene Lagos recently fought in Russia and Mexico accompanied by only his manager. He fought without a trainer.
Last April 2, Lagos suffered a brutal 3rd round knockout in the hands of WBO No. 1 featherweight contender Cesar Juarez of Mexico, which was aired in the US.
Lagos had previously lost to Valery Tretyakov via unanimous decision on Feb. 23 this year in Tagil, Russia.
It was Juarez who also KO’d previously undefeated Albert Pagara last year in California and Richard Pumicpic in October this year in Cabo San Lucas.
Now, if this information is true then Sen. Manny Pacquiao was right when he said in the Senate that GAB couldn’t handle all sports and his bill creating a separate agency overseeing professional boxing is a must.
How can Lagos travel to—and fight in—Mexico and Russia with only a manager in tow if GAB regularly meets with the managers, trainers, promoters and matchmakers as claimed by Mitra?
By now, Senator Pacquiao should know this information and must conduct a Senate inquiry about this issue when the session resumes on July 2, exactly the day the Fighting Senator faces Aussie Jeff Horn in Brisbane.
If the bill is signed into law, GAB will surrender jurisdiction over professional boxing to the PBC.
The other professional sports in the country like basketball, mixed martial arts and horse racing will be managed by GAB.
However, there’s a provision in the proposed PBC that three seats in the board composed of six members will be allotted for GAB representatives. The board will be headed by a chair and an executive director will be named to manage the PBC.
If and when the PBC is passed in the third and final reading and signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte, a budget of P150 million will be earmarked yearly for the agency.
