Thursday, March 27, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Heavyweight champ Sanders might sue WBO

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

David Tua, the WBO's No. 1 heavyweight contender, is not the only boxer unhappy with the sanctioning body.

Corrie Sanders, its new champion, hired an attorney to prevent a purse bid from occurring Friday that would force Sanders to defend his title against Lamon Brewster.

Brewster is the WBO's second-ranked heavyweight, despite a dubious resume with no victories over anyone ranked in the top 10. The WBO ruled that Tua is unavailable to fight Sanders by July 8 because Tua is fighting Hasim Rahman on Saturday.

That forced Tua's management to threaten legal action.

On Wednesday, Sanders' attorney, Judd Burstein, also threatened the organization with a lawsuit if Friday's purse bid in Germany goes forward. Sanders has far more lucrative options than a fight with Brewster, including a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, Tua, IBF champion Chris Byrd and, most notably, former undisputed champion Mike Tyson.

In a letter to WBO president Paco Valcarcel, Burstein wrote, "Put simply, but not surprisingly, the WBO's recent conduct has the aroma of a five-week-old unrefrigerated dead fish."

Sanders unexpectedly won the title by knocking out Klitschko in the second round March 8. The organization required Sanders to make a mandatory defense within 120 days, even though Klitschko wasn't required to make one for 26 months. Valcarcel noted in a letter to Tua co-manager Martin Pugh that Tua would need time to recover should he beat Rahman, and that's why the WBO didn't want to wait until next week to have its purse bid.

Pugh was outraged by the WBO's stance.

"Now the WBO has added fortune telling to its purvey," Pugh said. "Who are they to predetermine what David's condition will be before he fights Rahman?"

If the purse bid goes through , in addition to lawsuits from Sanders and Tua, it is likely promoters of the fight will have no U.S. television. HBO executive Kery Davis said his network is not interested in airing a Sanders-Brewster fight.

Davis said he resented implications that HBO tried to influence the WBO on behalf of Klitschko, whom HBO signed to a nine-fight contract before the Sanders bout. In fact, Davis said he had urged Klitschko to drop the WBO title because Davis thought so little of it.