BOXING promoter Rod Nazario yesterday said he is planning to
hold a fund-raiser to help boxer Luisito Espinosa despite being charged by the
former world champion in court for his failure to comply with the agreed prize
money in a title fight more than 10 years ago.
"Ako na mismo ang gagawa ng paraan. May planong tulong ako sa
kanya, dahil naaawa ako kay Louie. Pero ayaw ko munang sabihin, baka ma-preempt.
Hopefully mag-prosper ito," Nazario said in yesterday’s Scoop sa Kamayan on
Padre Faura St. in Manila.
Espinosa, 40, has sought the help of Malacañang in his bid to
collect $150,000 in prize money he was supposed to receive for fighting
Argentina’s Carlos Rios in a WBC featherweight title match in December 1997.
Espinosa has filed a case against Nazario, Lito Mondejar and
former South Cotabato Gov. Hilario de Pedro, promoters of the fight he handily
won in six rounds.
Nazario insisted he only played a conduit’s role for the
12-round fight to push, with Japanese matchmaker Joe Koizumi, Espinosa’s former
manager, as the official promoter. De Pedro was the official financier,
according to Nazario.
Nazario added that it was De Pedro who acted as signatory in
the promissory note written by Koizumi stating that Espinosa will be paid his
prize money shortly after the fight with Rios. Nazario and then GAB chairman
Dominador Cepeda acted as witnesses.
"By that time kasi ayaw ngang umakyat ni Louie, so Koizumi
was forced to write a promissory note signed by De Pedro himself," Nazario
claimed in the Accel-sponsored session.
"Kaya nga kung ginawa lang akong witness ni Louie sa kaso,
baka matagal nang tapos ‘yan," he added.
Nazario added De Pedro gave Espinosa P1 million during a
dinner the three of them attended along with several people, including
Espinosa’s wife Marie Cherie, in a plush five-star hotel a few days after the
fight.
Nazario added De Pedro, apparently hoping to get the help of
Malacañang, promised to pay the remaining balance in two or three weeks’ time.
"But during a Senate hearing on the incident, Marie Cherie
insisted that the P1 million was a token given to them by Malacanang and that
Espinosa should still be paid the full amount," said Nazario, also a former
manager of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.
Nothing came out of the investigation and Nazario said he did
not hear from De Pedro ever since.
"Lahat ng boksingerong hindi nababayaran naaawa ako, and that
includes Louie. I really feel bad about him," said Nazario, who has yet to speak
with Espinosa since the former champ arrived a few weeks ago.
After the Rios fight, Espinosa went on to defend his WBC title twice before
losing to Cesar Soto. He retired in 2005 after being knocked out by Cristobal
Cruz. He is now a stocker at a Costco store in San Francisco.
