Salandy handlers failed her, insists boxing promoter

THE HANDLERS of Siparia teenaged boxer Giselle Salandy have failed to negotiate with the franchise holders of the Ibero welterweight title causing her to be stripped of the regional championship. And any move to have her defend the title against an opponent not sanctioned by the partnership of top Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao promoters will result in legal action.

This veiled threat was delivered yesterday by leading international match-maker Buxo Potts who insists that Salandy’s manager Curtis Joseph has no authority to enter into any agreement for a defence of the crown. “This was due three months ago and we have been trying unsuccessfully to get him to come to terms in order to have Salandy make a successful defence of her crown,” said Potts yesterday. Failing this, the Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA), aware of the contractual obligations of the champion and failure to comform to the requirements of a mandatory defence within a stipulated time declared the title vacant, said Potts. “I was then invited to put in a first bid to stage a fight for the vacant crown and it was accepted. It’s as simple as that,” said Potts. He said he knows Salandy well and wishes her all the best for the future. However he charged that she has aligned herself with persons who cannot move her career forward. “They are trying to buy time. Well they have run out of time. We are going ahead with the contest at the end of April with Trinidadian Giselle Martin booked to fight an opponent picked by the WIBA for the championship in Curacao,” said Potts. He said Salandy’s handlers have come to this position because they have failed to understand and observe the laws and rules of the promotion game. “In my opinion they have not paid their dues to boxing having just recently entered the fray. Now they are trying to disenfranchise the promoters who put Salandy where she is. That can’t happen,” said Potts.

The former jockey also cast scorn on Joseph’s claim that a Colombian promoter was interested in putting on Giselle for a defence against a hometown opponent. “There is no one in Colombia to give Gisele a good fight. So it is not an attractive card for any Colombian. In fact we have been hearing these offers for many months. It is another gimmick to buy time,” said Potts. He said if Salandy’s handlers were serious in getting her to fight they will now have to enter into negotiations with him and his associates to purchase the franchise. “There is the cost factor involved and we are willing to talk if there is an attractive offer,’ said Potts. He said he believed the ruse was to stall any promotion of Giselle until she reaches the age of 17 when she can he given a professional licence to fight in Trinidad and Tobago. “But we can’t go that way. He has run out of time,” said Potts.