Court orders arrest of Gabi

DAVAO CITY – Diosdado Gabi, one of the five winning boxers in the Philippines’ 5-1 victory over Mexico in last week’s World Cup in Sacramento, California, is facing arrest here to answer charges filed by North Cotabato Vice Gov. Emmanuel Piñol.

Municipal Trial Court Judge Antonia Escovilla issued the warrant of arrest following charges of violation of managerial contract filed by Piñol against Gabi, a resident of Bunawan district, this city.

Piñol sought P4.8 million in damages after the boxer reportedly duped him and breached his managerial contract which was in force since 2002.

The vice governor claimed that he paid Gabi’s former boxing coach Roger Sumampong P150,000 to get the boxer in his stable.

The P4.8 million reportedly represented expenses in developing and promoting the boxer’s career which also paved the way for his stint last week in the World Cup.

Piñol also claimed that Gabi received P150,000 in cash advance from him in May 2005 when he told the former he would be fighting a certain Rosendo Alvarez of Nicaragua, then the No. 5 contender for the World Boxing Council flyweight division.

The vice governor said that after Gabi got the amount which he said was for his family, the boxer could no longer be located. It was only much later that he learned Gabi was already in the US to pursue his boxing career, Piñol said.

Pinol also stressed in his complaint that it was even Gabi’s father who told him sometime in June 2005 to stop looking for the boxer as he was said to have decided to instead retire from boxing and tend their farm.

However, it turned out Gabi’s priority was still his boxing career and not his farm, Pinol added. (ERR)