Rey Loreto Unpaid Purse Controversy Continues To Rage

by Ronnie Nathanielsz

As a seeming last resort the handlers of IBO light flyweight champion Rey Loreto have sought the intervention of the Philippine government in the case of the unpaid purse of Loreto and Jetly Purisima who figured on the undercard last March 23 in a promotion of South Africa’s Siphatho Handi in East London, South Africa.

In a letter to Games and Amusements Board chairman Ramon Guanzon, former North Cotabato governor and broadcast journalist Manny Pinol who is now the CEO of Sonshine Promotions which handles Loreto,  listed the specific facts of the case and indicated it was “a clear case of deceit (of promoter Handi) with the connivance and concurrence of the Eastern Cape Provincial Government representative and the supervisor of Boxing South Africa without whose assurances I would not have allowed the fighters to go on with the fights.”

Pinol also pointed out that the IBO supervisor “is not entirely blameless because his consent to a delayed payment of the IBO sanction fees was perceived as a gesture of confidence in the reliability of the promoter to keep his promise.”

Pinol said that in the light of the developments and the continued failure of the South African promoter to honor his commitments he is asking for the Philippine government’s intervention.

Pinol requested the following.

 1. Asking the Department of Foreign Affairs to make representations with the South African National Government which has supervision over Boxing South Africa and the Eastern Cape Provincial Government for the immediate payment of the boxers' prize money;

2. For the GAB to provide the boxers with legal assistance in pursuing the case in South Africa because obviously the boxers are not capable of doing this on their own.

3. For the GAB to communicate with the IBO to resolve this matter as this involves an IBO-sanctioned event and an IBO-accredited boxing promoter.

He also provided a rundown of the events covering the non-payment of the two Filipino boxers purses.

1. Rey Loreto, the current IBO Junior Flyweight champion, was contracted to defend his title against South African Nkosinathi Joyi in a boxing card promoted by Mamali Productions of Siphatho Handi on March 23, 2015 for a prize money of $42,000 while Jetly Purisima fought in the undercard for a guaranteed purse of $4,000.

2. I represented Loreto and Purisima as CEO of the Sonshine Sports Management which is their promotional company and accompanied them to South Africa for the fight.

3. On March 22, before the weigh-in, Promoter Handi asked for a conference with the undersigned and the IBO representative, Len Hunt. In the room of the venue of the weigh-in were the representatives of Boxing South Africa, Phakamile Jacobs, and a representative of the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, which reportedly sponsored the world championship fight. There, Handi said that the check from the Eastern Cape Provincial Government has not been deposited yet in his account and he wanted to know whether the Filipino fighters would agree to a delayed payment of their prize money.

4. Upon learning of the problem, I immediately invited boxers Loreto and Purisima, including Loreto's trainer Joven Jorda, to attend the meeting. I explained to them the problem and asked them if they liked to fight under those conditions. The boxers obviously had no choice but to agree. (The fight was staged and Loreto knocked out Joyi in the first round while Purisima lost by decision in 10.)

5. Concurred by the representative of the Eastern Cape Provincial Government and the Boxing South Africa supervisor and reassured by the presence of the IBO supervisor who also agreed to a delayed payment for the sanction fees due the IBO, I agreed on the condition that a promissory note is signed by Promoter Handi and the representatives of Boxing South Africa and the Eastern Cape Provincial Government.

6. In the promissory note, a copy of which was emailed to me, Handi promised to transfer to my account in the Philippines the amount of $45,000 which was the remaining payable on March 25 and agreed that he could be sued in case he breached the commitment.

7. When the March 25 commitment was not fulfilled, Handi emailed the IBO saying that the processing of the check was delayed and that the amount would be remitted on April 7. When that deadline was not met, the IBO emailed Handi warning him that it would take actions agains the promoter if the payables were not settled. Handi in return made another commitment that the money would be transferred April 17. It has been a week since that date and a month after boxers fulfilled their contractual obligations to the promoter and the money has not been paid yet.

8. Realising the predicament of the boxers, I have extended advances to Loreto and Purisima in the amount of about P150,000 of my own money. I have also engaged the services of a law firm based in Johannesburg, South Africa to represent the boxers in this case.