The WBO
stripped pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather of his welterweight world
title on Monday for his failure to comply with the organization's
rules.
Mayweather
claimed the WBO welterweight title when he outpointed Manny Pacquiao on
May 2 in a 147-pound unification fight that shattered all financial
records for a boxing match, including total gross, pay-per-view
subscriptions, closed circuit revenue, live gate, foreign television
sales and sponsorships.
Mayweather, who
holds two other alphabet welterweight world titles, let come and go the
4:30 p.m. ET Friday deadline by which he had to pay a $200,000
sanctioning fee from the May 2 fight (for which he earned more than $220
million) and vacate the two junior middleweight titles "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.
It is against
sanctioning organization rules for boxers to hold world titles in
multiple weight classes. The WBC and WBA had been breaking their own
rules by allowing Mayweather to hold their titles, but the WBO upheld
its rules.
Typically, the
WBO will allow a fighter 10 days to decide which weight class he wants
to continue to hold the title in, if he wins one in another weight
division. The WBO gave Mayweather major leeway -- two months.
Once the Friday
deadline expired, the WBO sent the issue to its championship committee,
which voted Monday afternoon to strip Mayweather of the belt for not
complying with either request.
"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."
After
Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) defeated Pacquiao to unify three of the four
major welterweight world titles, he spoke at length at the postfight
news conference about how he planned to vacate all his titles in order
to give younger fighters the chance to realize their dreams of winning
belts.
"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."
After
Mayweather's pronouncement, the WBO sanctioned the June 27 fight between
former titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr. and junior welterweight titlist
Jessie Vargas for its vacant welterweight title. When Mayweather heard,
he objected to the WBO in a letter from his lawyer, John Hornewer, on
May 20. The WBO then laid out to Mayweather what he needed to do to keep
the title, namely pay the fee and vacate the junior middleweight belts.
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.
Mayweather has
14 days to file a written appeal with the WBO, but the decision is
unlikely to be changed, even if he does appeal. Ellerbe said Mayweather
has not decided yet if he plans to appeal.
"We have the
best attorney in the game, John Hornwer, and we are fully aware of what
our rights are," Ellerbe said. "Floyd will decide what he wants to do."
Mayweather has
won 11 world titles in five weight classes, from 130 to 154 pounds,
during his brilliant, 19-year career. He plans to next fight Sept. 12 --
the opponent has not been announced -- to complete his six-fight
contract with Showtime/CBS. After that, the 38-year-old has said, he
plans to retire.
- ESPN
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