Floyd Mayweather
was Monday stripped by the World Boxing Organization of the welterweight world
title he won by beating Manny Pacquiao two months ago in what was dubbed “the
fight of the century”.
Floyd Mayweather
Jr. throws a left at Manny Pacquiao during their welterweight unification
championship bout on May 2, 2015 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP
Floyd Mayweather
Jr. throws a left at Manny Pacquiao during their welterweight unification
championship bout on May 2, 2015 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas,
Nevada. File Photo
Mayweather had
failed to meet the deadline last Friday for paying the $200,000 sanctioning fee
required by the WBO after he took the belt from Pacquiao on May 2 in Las Vegas,
in the richest fight of all time, earning a reported $220 million in the
process.
WBO rules require
boxers to pay 3 percent of their purse to fight for a world title up to a
maximum of $200,000.
The rules also prohibit
WBO champions to hold any belts in any other weight divisions. Mayweather is
currently also the WBC and WBA champion at junior middleweight (154lb), as well
as at welterweight (147lb).
A statement on
the Puerto Rico-based sanctioning body’s website confirmed thatMayweather,
regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, was no longer the WBO
champion.
“Mr. Mayweather,
Jr. failed to pay the $200,000.000 fee required of him as a participant of a
WBO World Championship Contest,” said the statement.
“Despite
affording Mr. Mayweather Jr. the courtesy of an extension to advise us of his
position within the WBO Welterweight Division and to vacate the two 154-pound
world titles he holds, the WBO World Championship Committee received no
response from him or his legal representatives on this matter.
“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.”
Pacquiao told AFP
on Tuesday that he thought the WBO had been fair to his former opponent.
“Maybe he just
didn’t want to pay the sanctioning fee. He was given enough time to fulfil his
responsibilities as WBO champion and to decide whether he should relinquish his
WBO 147lb crown,” the Filipino boxer said.
“I think the WBO
championship committee behaved fairly before taking away his crown.”
After Mayweather
(48-0, 26 KOs) defeated Pacquiao to unify three of the four major welterweight
world titles, he had declared that would vacate all his titles in order to give
younger fighters the chance to win belts.
“I don’t know if
it will be Monday or maybe a couple weeks,” Mayweather said at the post-fight
news conference.
“I’ll talk to my
team and see what we need to do. Other fighters need a chance.”
American Timothy
Bradley, who defeated countryman Jessie Vargas for the WBO interim welterweight
belt on June 27, is now expected to be formally elevated to full champion
status by the WBO.