Reno referee back for Manny’s fight

The lanky referee who counted out Erik Morales in his fight against Manny Pacquiao last November will be back to work the Filipino icon’s bout at the Alamodome in San Antonio this Saturday (Sunday morning, Manila time).

Vic Drakulich, 52, was picked as the third man in the ring when Pacquiao battles Jorge Solis of Mexico in a scheduled 12-round match for the WBC International super featherweight title.

Assigned as judges were Larry O’Connell of England and two Texans, Gale Van Hoy and Oren Schellenberger.

Drakulich was reputedly a jinx for Filipino fighters before Pacquiao’s win over Morales. He was the referee when Filipinos Jesus Salud, Reynante Jamili and Rodel Mayol lost in bids for world titles.

Angeles City-based New Zealand referee Bruce McTavish described Drakulich as a competent, efficient and A-class arbiter. The Reno, Nevada, former football player is known for his no-nonsense approach in keeping order in the ring, never hesitating to deduct a point for an infraction. Last September, Drakulich docked a point off Jorge Barrios for a low blow in a close WBO superfeatherweight title bout against Joan Guzman and the penalty proved costly as Guzman won on a split verdict. Without the deduction, the outcome would’ve been a split draw.

O’Connell, 68, has been a referee and judge since 1983 with extensive championship experience from working fights involving Lennox Lewis (seven bouts), Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Pernell Whitaker, Naseem Hamed, Shane Mosley, Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar de la Hoya all over the world.

O’Connell was the referee in the first Masamori Tokuyama-Gerry Peñalosa bout for the WBC superflyweight crown in Yokohama in 2001. He was the judge who scored it a 115-115 tie in the split draw between Lewis and Holyfield for the undisputed world heavyweight title in New York in 1999. And he turned in the decisive 115-114 scorecard that awarded Marco Antonio Barrera a majority decision over Morales in their third encounter in 2004.

Van Hoy, 73, was a judge when Pacquiao blasted Barrera into submission in San Antonio in 2003. He saw Pacquiao ahead, 97-89, at the time of the stoppage. Van Hoy scored it for Jorge Arce in his win by unanimous decision over Filipino Juanito Rubillar for the WBC lightflyweight title in 2004 and for Eagle Kyowa over Filipino Rodel Mayol for the WBC minimumweight crown last year.

Van Hoy has been a judge since 1989, traveling to Japan for six assignments, Germany, Ireland and Spain in a long career.

Schellenberger, 67, has the least ring experience in the judges panel. He has been assigned in only two world title fights. In 2001, he was a judge in Arce’s first bout against Rubillar for the interim WBC lightflyweight title in Tijuana and scored it 117-109 for the Mexican.

Solis is seen to enjoy the "homecourt" advantage because of the large Mexican community in San Antonio but Pacquiao isn’t fazed. Against Barrera in the same venue, Pacquiao was all business and led in the three judges’ scorecards, 97-90, 97-90, 97-89, when the fight was stopped in the 11th round.