Mayweather stripped of WBO Welterweight belt
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the WBO has stripped Floyd Mayweather for not paying the $200,000 sanctioning fees for his May 2 fight with Manny Pacquiao.
“The WBO world championship committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr. Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the WBO welterweight champion of the world and vacate his title for failing to comply with our WBO regulations of world championship contests,” the WBO wrote Monday in its resolution.
“The WBO has the utmost respect for Floyd Mayweather Jr. and all that he has accomplished during his storied career,” the WBO wrote in its resolution. “Mr. Mayweather has always agreed with and understood that world championships have both privileges and responsibilities and that status as WBO champion is subject to and conditioned on compliance with the WBO rules and regulations.”
The Mayweather camp was displeased by the ruling.
“It’s a complete disgrace,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told ESPN.com. “Floyd will decide what, or if any, actions he will take. But in the meantime he’s enjoying a couple of hundred million he made from his last outing and this has zero impact on anything he does. “Floyd Mayweather has a great deal of respect for each and every organization, as he has always had in his 19-year career, but he will not be dictated to by any organization or person as it relates to his decision making.”
“I don’t know if it will be Monday [May 4] or maybe a couple weeks,” Mayweather said in the news conference. “I’ll talk to my team and see what we need to do. Other fighters need a chance. Give other fighters a chance. I’m not greedy. I’m a world champion in two different weight classes. It’s time to let other fighters fight for the belt.”
The WBO also reclassified the Bradley-Vargas bout as for the interim title. With the WBO withdrawing recognition of Mayweather as its welterweight titleholder, it soon will formally elevate Bradley, who won a unanimous decision against Vargas, to full titleholder.
“I’m not surprised at all because of the individuals involved we’re talking about,” said Ellerbe, believing that WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel went out of his way to help Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who promotes Bradley and Vargas and who is close to the WBO.
“We have the best attorney in the game, John Hornewer, and we are fully aware of what our rights are,” Ellerbe said. “Floyd will decide what he wants to do.”