Wakee Salud cries foul

Philippine superfeatherweight champion Jimrex Jaca is fighting Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim featherweight crown at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, on Nov. 25 but his manager Rex (Wakee) Salud is desperately trying to stop it.

Salud is crying foul over what he insists was an act of treason by Jaca for agreeing to fight Marquez without his approval.

Since turning pro on his 17th birthday in 2000, Jaca has never fought without Salud in his corner. His real name is Jimuel Divino. It was Salud who renamed him Jimrex Jaca to fuse his first name (Jim) and his own (Rex) and to recognize trainer Anol Jaca.

Salud provided Jaca with all the breaks in his career, the biggest of which was fighting in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales rematch in Las Vegas last January.

WBO Asia-Pacific vice president Leon Panoncillo, a Hawaiian of Filipino descent, booked Jaca for the fight, originally set last Oct. 21, through Bukidnon boxing agent Leonel Lazarito.

But the fight didn’t push through because Jaca was able to get his US visa only three days before the match. Salud decided it was useless to proceed because of the limited lead time. Besides, the report was Jaca weighed 138 pounds or 12 over the featherweight limit.

Salud said he got word from Golden Boy Promotions that the fight was cancelled, not postponed.

Looking to keep Jaca active, Salud went ahead to negotiate a Philippine title defense against Baby Lorona in Dumaguete on Nov. 25. Jaca’s period of defense was due to lapse so Salud explored the option.

But an opportunity opened for Jaca to see action in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Morales rubber match on Nov. 18 at a weight limit of 131 pounds. Salud, banking on his relations with Top Rank Promotions, managed to squeeze out a spot in the show from Bob Arum.

The bout was an eight-round tune-up with a purse of $7,500. No doubt, it was a substantial downgrade from the $50,000 purse that Jaca was ticketed to earn for fighting Marquez but at least, he wouldn’t come up empty-handed.

Salud cleared the deal with Pacquiao and they agreed it might be too early to rush Jaca into a fight against Marquez.

Then came word from Golden Boy that the Jaca-Marquez fight was back in schedule. The fight was reset to Nov. 25.

Salud, however, couldn’t back out from his commitment to Top Rank.

"Biglang sinabi ng Golden Boy, tuloy ulit ang laban," said Salud. "But after nakiusap ako kay Arum na pagbigyan si Jimrex, nakakahiya naman mag-pull out. Definitely, magagalit si Arum sa atin. Para tayong urong-sulong at walang isang salita."

Thinking the Top Rank date was a done deal, Salud made arrangements to fly to Croatia on Oct. 26 to attend the World Boxing Council convention. Unfortunately, he missed the Lufthansa early evening flight because his passport, which was entrusted to a Games and Amusements Board (GAB) official, arrived late at the airport. Salud later decided to take a vacation to Tokyo instead. He left last Oct. 28 and returned home three days later.

Back in Cebu, Salud tried to contact Jaca on his cellphone but the line was not in service. He bought plane tickets for Jaca and trainer Robert (Jun) Bubuli for a Nov. 3 departure to the US and wanted to make sure they were on track to leave.

Finally, Salud got through to Jaca’s wife Brenda Lynn on Nov. 3 only to be told the fighter and Bubuli had left the day before. Who facilitated their departure from the Philippine end for Golden Boy is a subject of speculation but Salud isn’t losing sleep over it.

"Whoever helped them probably did it just to help but they should’ve informed me of what they were doing if they were doing nothing wrong," said Salud. "Why was it hidden from me?"

Salud is now appealing to the GAB to take action against Jaca, claiming the fighter trampled on his rights as manager to accept a fight offer without his clearance. He’s trying to stop the bout from taking place and if it pushes through, he wants the Texas commission to withhold Jaca’s purse.

A few days ago, it appeared Salud’s case suffered a big blow when a letter, with his signature, surfaced to confirm his knowledge and tacit approval of the Marquez fight. The letter was addressed to GAB chairman Eric Buhain and signed last Oct. 30. Curiously, the letter noted that Jaca would fight Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas — a mistake considering the venue is in Texas.

Salud said he never signed the letter. One other thing, he was in Tokyo when he supposedly signed the letter. He said his secretary Cynthia Unde, acting in good faith, signed the letter in his name, not realizing it would be in conflict with a prior agreement with Arum.

"I don’t know how they can do this to me," moaned Salud, referring to Jaca and Bubuli. "I was told when they come back, they won’t be welcome by the guys in my gym anymore for what they did to me behind my back."

Salud said the lure of big money baited Jaca into accepting the Golden Boy offer which reportedly is a three-fight contract. Jaca’s contract to be managed by Salud expires in 2009.

"I realize fighting Marquez for a bigger purse is a much better proposition than fighting in an eight-rounder for a lesser purse but there are agreements that must be respected," said Salud. "We just can’t forget about commitments, principles and word of honor for money."

Salud said his rights as manager were violated and that’s why he’s seeking redress from the GAB.

"I’m not taking action just for myself," said Salud. "I’m doing this to protect other managers who sacrifice a lot for their fighters only to be left out in the cold in the end."