Author: Anton Tabuena

The talk between camps became ugly and personal, and Nonito Donaire is insisting that the fight is off.

There’s a line many athletes don’t cross during fight promotion, but Nonito Donaire feels that’s exactly what John Riel Casimero’s camp did.

The bout, which was billed as the first ever Filipino vs Filipino title unification, was already jeopardized this past week after drug testing issues had Donaire threaten to call off the fight. The last straw for the four-division champion it seems, were the smack talk directed at his family afterwards.

Donaire wasn’t happy about previous statements Casimero made, but the pre-fight smack talk between the two camps only got uglier and much more personal since then.

Rachel Donaire, Nonito’s manager, trainer and wife, was targeted with insults and smack talk. They took offense to the “disgusting” and “misogynistic” actions and statements, but the two camps decided to go on Instagram live in an effort to try and discuss things better.

Unfortunately, it only devolved into even more ugly bickering and insults, in a feud that at times got petty and also very personal.

“The only reason I came in is because it was going to be Filipino vs Filipino, and regardless there was going to be a Filipino champion,” Donaire said on the Instagram chat. “Now you guys come in… and you’re demeaning Filipinos! No? You’re telling my wife to suck some dude’s d—k!”

“My goal is to be undisputed champ. But the moment you guys disrespected my wife, you disrespected me and my family, I don’t care if I become world champion anymore,” Donaire said in a mix of English and Filipino, and translated by Bloody Elbow. “I will protect my family. I am here to protect my wife. That is all that I have to say and there is nothing you can do to change my mind. You disrespected me, you disrespected my wife, when I have not said a single bad thing about you guys. I’ll rest my case on that.”

Apart from Nonito’s relatively brief appearance, the rest of the session on social media was mainly just bickering and insults between the other participants from the two camps. It only seemed counter productive, and soon after, Donaire issued an official statement saying the fight is off.

“I am known to take stands people are afraid to take. I STAND for VADA 24/7/365 testing for ALL boxers. This should never be refused or delayed. I stand against BULLYING in any form. I STAND against the disrespect and ABUSE of women and children physically, mentally and emotionally. AND I STAND against misogynistic culture.

“A grown man recently told the mother of my boys to ‘snack on his —-’. We cannot ignore this unprofessional behavior. We cannot excuse the disgusting trolling memes created of my wife as ‘just for entertainment’. I don’t want other pro athletes to cross this line and think this type of behavior is acceptable. We have to maintain a respectable character, especially online, for the future generations to emulate, and not promote ignorance and foul behavior. For the boxing culture to change, promoters and networks should veer away from unacceptable behavior and not encourage it.

“That being said, as we’ve stated before, we cancelled this fight when they delayed turning in the VADA paperwork for 5 days. We have proof that the opposing side was neither honest nor forthcoming in providing the proper information to begin VADA drug testing. AFTER we cancelled the fight, then and only then did the paperwork suddenly appear.

“I do what I say. And as much as I want to knock him out, I’m going to take the high road and instead of highlighting his misbehaviors, I’m not going to give his example the stage or the payday that comes with it.”

Meanwhile, Casimero’s camp is adamant that the fight is still pushing through. His promoter, Sean Gibbons of Manny Pacquiao Promotions told Boxing Scene that “The fight is happening. I guarantee that.”

Should it indeed fall through, the Guillermo Rigondeaux bout that was scrapped in favor of this all-Filipino title unification could conceivably be in play for Casimero again.

Seems like the controversial interim heavyweight title bout was just one of many regular threats made against fighters in negotiations.

The UFC recently announced a bout between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane, which would be for the interim heavyweight championship. Right off the bat, it seemed like an obvious power play and a sign of troubling negotiations, as the current champion Francis Ngannou had just won the belt a mere three months ago.

Shortly after news broke, there was also a heated back and forth between UFC President Dana White and Ngannou’s representatives from CAA, a top Hollywood talent agency.

Ariel Helwani, who seems to be able to speak more freely now that he is no longer employed by the UFC’s partners in ESPN, reports that this is a pretty common tactic used by UFC executive Hunter Campbell in fighter negotiations. He reveals that threatening to strip the title or create an interim belt is “constantly” done to get UFC champions to do what they want.

“Regarding today’s interim news, you’d be shocked how often they threaten this &/or how often they threaten to strip. And while most of the criticism has been directed towards Dana White – he is the face after all – it’s really been the M.O. of Hunter Campbell since he took over,” Helwani wrote.

“For those that don’t know, Campbell is the UFC’s chief business officer. He took over shortly after the sale. He does most, if not all the deals these days. Some love him – he’s a lot more like Lorenzo in that he isn’t emotional – but he also threatens to strip constantly.

“Campbell is the “lawyer” White often refers to. Hardly ever mentions him by name. Not sure why. He’s way more valuable to UFc than just being a lawyer. In fact, I’d argue he’s the third most important person in the company behind Ari and White. Again, he does all the big deals,” he explained.

“Think of him as the UFC’s general manager if they were a sports team. Yet, he never speaks publicly or has to explain moves like a GM would from time to time. Good gig! Anyway, some enjoy dealing with him but this is right up his alley. It happens way more than fans think.”

Helwani also gave a more specific example, in former champion Stipe Miocic, who has had some issues with the UFC in the past.

“I can think of at least five occasions they threatened to strip Stipe,” he said. “Never went through with it, but he got it worse than anyone.”

UFC has repeatedly used a “take it or leave it” approach during fighter negotiations, seemingly prioritizing control over short-term monetary gain, especially during this ESPN era. This was also evident during the many public dealings that included the likes of Georges St-Pierre, and more recently, Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.

Manny Pacquiao has been sued by Conor McGregor’s management team for breach of contract.

In February 2020, news broke that Manny Pacquiao signed with the same management team as Conor McGregor. The relationship seems to have quickly deteriorated though, and Paradigm Sports Management is now suing the Filipino boxer for breach of contract.

Pacquiao is currently set for a boxing match against Errol Spence Jr. on August 21. This was said to be booked without the involvement of Paradigm, and the lawsuit is looking to prevent the match from happening.

Paradigm attorney Judd Burstein told ESPN that they’re also seeking millions in damages in the “high sevens or eights” range, while citing a $3.3 million contractual advance that Pacquiao allegedly refused to return.

As first reported by The Athletic, Paradigm noted that signing the boxing star was supposed to be their main move into a new sport, but “Pacquiao has left its reputation as a boxing representative in tatters.” They also claim that Pacquiao’s associates in Sean Gibbons and Winchell Campos worked to move Pacquiao back to Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions.

“Pacquiao knew full well that Paradigm had exclusive rights to schedule his next two immediate fights,” the complaint read.

According to ESPN, the lawsuit also detailed some supposed plans Paradigm had with Pacquiao, including a bout with Mikey Garcia in Dubai and a crossover match with McGregor.

Paradigm says it was able to negotiate a $25 million fight purse for Pacquiao for a bout with Mikey Garcia that would have taken place May 15, 2021, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Pacquiao was to receive a $5 million purse advance. That deal fell apart after Pacquiao attempted to make that $5 million advance a guarantee, even if he did not compete, per the complaint.

There were also talks about McGregor being the first of Pacquiao’s two final fights, though that idea was pushed back because of a McGregor injury and his loss to Dustin Poirier in January, Burstein wrote in the complaint.

There was a lot of talk about a potential McGregor vs Pacquiao boxing match in 2020, with the former UFC champion saying it was “good as done” until he lost to Poirier. The timeline and injury noted in the complaint wasn’t specified, but it could just be McGregor’s badly swollen leg after taking all those calf kicks.

Pacquiao’s camp has since responded to the complaint with a statement saying “Paradigm Sports’ lawsuit against me has no merit. I have an absolute right under the agreement with Paradigm to engage in the upcoming bout with Errol Spence. If this frivolous lawsuit continues, I will be proven correct in court.”

“(The complaint) can and will fail for numerous reasons,” Pacquiao’s attorney Dale Kinsella said. “Had Manny Pacquiao known that Paradigm Sports appears to have had no intention of fulfilling its contractual obligations, he never would have entered into any relationship with them.”

The Filipino boxing legend is no stranger to management issues through the years. The 42-year-old Pacquiao has been known to have a massive entourage, with multiple people that tend to speak or sometimes even negotiate on his behalf.

Watch Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Masayoshi Nakatani videos.

Vasiliy Lomachenko is back in prime form.

After a decision loss to Teofimo Lopez in December 2020, Lomachenko returned against Masayoshi Nakatani and he turned in another vintage performance. He showcased his trademark movement and footwork that drew him comparisons to The Matrix, but he also showed great offense from inside and the clinch to batter the Japanese contender.

Lomachenko came out far more aggressive this time around, opening up and hurting Nakatani on multiple occasions. He scored a knockdown in the 5th, and eventually got a finish in the 9th round, badly hurting Nakatani and forcing the referee to stop the fight at the 1:48 mark of the stanza.

Nakatani showed insane toughness, battling through all the shots even with a badly swollen eye, but Lomachenko’s skills shined tonight.

A possible rematch against Lopez could be on the horizon, although there’s also word that the Honduran-American could move up soon after his title defense in August.

Official decision: Vasiliy Lomachenko def. Masayoshi Nakatani by TKO, 1:48 9th round

Watch highlights from the contest below.

A Muay Thai fighter was disqualified for biting his opponent.

Mouhman Amine Alharar lived up to his “King Cobra” nickname in the worst way.

Friday night in Abu Dhabi, Alharar was disqualified in the third round for biting his opponent. Mohammed Mardi, a UAE Muay Thai National Team member, was getting the better of the exchanges during their bout at UAM Muay Thai Night 6. Somewhat similar to Mike Tyson’s infamous disqualification in 1997, Alharar grew frustrated from taking big shots, then just decided to bite Mardi’s neck.

Tyson got a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear as he intentionally spit out his mouthpiece prior, but luckily, Alharar’s neck bite wasn’t as damaging. The unsportsmanlike act was still caught and instantly disqualified though, awarding Mardi the victory in their super welterweight contest.

Watch the clip below.

At the top of the card, Filipino MMA vet and South East Asian Games gold medalist Phillip Delarmino won the WMC featherweight Asian title, while Ilyass Habibali won the WMC light heavyweight intercontinental title.

Plaintiff and UFC vet Kajan Johnson also says this lawsuit is to fight for those athletes “who are afraid to speak out.”

As reported earlier, a new class action lawsuit has been filed against the UFC with two more former fighters being named as plaintiffs. The suit is similar to the original antitrust complaint filed almost seven years ago, but this includes new UFC owner Endeavor, and the class period now goes from “July 1, 2017 to present” to include current fighters.

Both plaintiffs named in the suit have since released statements, with Kajan Johnson, a UFC vet and activist, saying this is to affect change for the future of the sport.

“Like Carlos Newton, Cung Le, Nathan Quarry and Jon Fitch before me, I am honored to bring this lawsuit not only on behalf of myself but all those fighters in the proposed bout class who are afraid to speak out against the injustice we have endured,” Johnson said. “I feel obligated to do my part to leave the sport better off for my students and all future mixed martial artists to come.”

CB Dollaway says fighters are the ones who risk their well-being on every bout, and they deserve a bigger cut than the sub 20% revenue share fighters receive.

“We train hard and risk our bodies to succeed in this sport,” Dollaway said in a statement. “Every time we step into that octagon, we leave a piece of ourselves behind. The UFC should have to pay us competitive compensation for our services, just like professional athletes in other sports get paid based on competitive markets.”

The original lawsuit has gone on for almost seven years, and while this new one is also expected to be a lengthy legal battle, a lot more could be on the line for the UFC. According to business expert John Nash, the new class period that includes Endeavor and present day fighters, could entice the UFC to find a quicker resolution.

“By extending the class period to the present day — and possibly — beyond, it might be an additional incentive for the UFC to see the case settled,” Nash opined. “When there was a set window to the class period (ending on June 30, 2017), there was no penalty for continuing the court fight. But now, every day the case continues potentially adds more in damages.”

Lawyer Jason Cruz also gave his thoughts over at MMA Payout:

“This lawsuit secures that all ‘current’ fighters are now part of a potential class. This forces the hand of Zuffa,” Cruz notes. “Certainly, they can go through the process of dismissing Johnson and Dolloway’s lawsuit but we know how much time that may take. The likely outcome at this point is to consolidate both cases into one although we may see some pushback on this issue from Zuffa and maybe Endeavor.”

Based on the damages from the previous period in the original lawsuit, adding four years to that span could potentially add a billion dollars or even more to the total. Things of course will still take a while before anything gets finalized, and a lot can still change in the coming months and years.