Former Fil-Am world boxing champion now US based free lance boxing manager Morris East finally broke his silence recently and hit back at some sports journalists in the mainstream and social media in the Philippines who put out patently biased stories that tended to paint him as an opportunist exploiter.
East has an ongoing court suit in Las Vegas against Johnriel Casimero for breach of contract that also included Manny Pacquiao and Sean Gibbons as owner and president, respectively of the MP Promotions which presents itself as Casimero’s current legal promoter.
The case stemmed from Casimero’s non compliance to the exclusive management contract that he entered into with East back in early 2018.
East showed proof by way of faxed copy of contract that Casimero entered into and signed on February 8, 2018 an Exclusive Worldwide Boxing Management contract with East where he was bound to pay the latter 33-1/3 percent of all promotional revenues in fights he is engaged in as East’s due manager’s cut and to reimburse expenses incurred in negotiating and securing fights for him and in his training.
A recent anonymous Filipino boxing vlog claimed that East was trying to tie down and exploit Casimero with such “onerous” contractual terms and conditions.
But East clarified that the contract was prepared by Las Vegas lawyers who were knowledgeable and experts in preparing such based on prevailing standard boxing contracts in the USA and in conformity with the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.
In filing and pursuing the case, East said he is just fighting for what he believed is rightfully and legally due him and to send a stern message to boxers like Casimero that he cannot trifle with the law in the USA and get away with it.
Morris said he has not earned anything from helping erstwhile problem ridden Filipino fighters like Casimero who have asked for his assistance in reviving their careers.
He said Casimero contacted him sometime in late 2017 when the former two division world champion was down on the dumps, his career going nowhere after he was defeated earlier by Jonas Sultan in an eliminator, ruining his chance to challenge IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas. Casimero was also in poor condition, his weight ballooning to more than 130 lbs at that time.
East said he helped Casimero get to the US and took care of him during his stay covering a few weeks, providing accommodations and setting him up with training.
However, just as East got his first promotional contract from a US promoter for Casimero, the latter suddenly left to fight in Mexico and went back to the Philippines.
East denied that the promoter he was trying to latch up Casimero with was spurious. He said he has had offers from different US promoters at the time from which Casimero was free to choose to sign up with.
East said he exerted efforts to contact and communicate with Casimero but got no reply.
He learned later from the news emanating from the Philippines that Casimero has latched up with Gibbons and MP Promotions and already fought a few fights.
East said he has sent notices to Gibbons and MP Promotions to lay off Casimero as he is under contract with him but to no avail.
Casimero has fought four more bouts since then including his WBO bantamweight title winning fight against South African Zolani Tete last November in the UK. He was supposed to fight Naoya Inoue in a unification but it fell through. He will be making a title defense this September in the US.
East said the lawsuit is active and due for hearing very soon.
“All I am asking is for those in the sports media including vloggers especially in the Philippines to be fair and accurate by getting and presenting all the sides. After all, it will be the court that will decide who is right”, East said.
