SHANE MOSLEY IN FUND RAISING BOXING FOR YOLANDA VICTIMS

By Manny Pinol

Future Hall of Famer Sugar Shane Mosley is in the Philippines now to help in the planning of a big boxing event set in May this year to raise funds for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

Mosley, accompanied by lawyer Sydney Hall, his agent, Germaine Gilles, and British promoter Dennis Hobson, arrived three days ago and will leave for the US tonight.

Here is an item written by Philippine Star columnist Quinito Henson about the planned fund raising event:

A fund-raiser is being planned for staging in Manila by a group involved in pro boxing on May 24 and the word is several ring legends are showing up to lend a hand. The event intends to build a war chest for something called “The United Boxing Relief Fund,” described as a non-profit venture of fight personalities who “have joined forces to use their time, talent and resources to provide assistance to communities throughout Asia when catastrophic natural disasters strike.”

A source said the group “will allocate funds to help support the relief efforts from typhoon Yolanda with a boxing event and special dinner party.” The support is specifically for Asia and the immediate beneficiary is the Philippines.

The same source said former IBF lightweight, WBC welterweight and WBC/WBA lightmiddleweight champion Sugar Shane Mosley is arriving in Manila on Tuesday morning to announce the event. Mosley is supposedly coming with lawyer Sydney Hall, business agent Germaine Gillies and British promoter Dennis Hobson.

“Sugar Shane will host the event,” said the source. “Among the legends to be invited are Mike Tyson and Roberto Duran. Active fighters like Robert Guerrero, Zab Judah and Amir Khan are also in the guest list and they’ll come for sure if the schedule doesn’t conflict with fight commitments.”

Hall was the San Francisco lawyer who brokered Manny Pacquiao’s US breakthrough in 2001. He worked closely with Pacquiao’s late business manager Rod Nazario in negotiating the Filipino icon’s fight against IBF superbantamweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba in Las Vegas that year. Pacquiao took the IBF crown in his first US outing and that paved the way for his historic rise as a global star.

Gillies is involved in wealth management and entertainment production. An event like what’s in the works is right down her alley. As an investment advisor backed by 12 years of experience with a US financial institution, she has represented star athletes in the NFL and NBA including Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher. The Philippines is close to Gillies’ heart because she was born and raised in Baguio and her mother is Filipino-Chinese-Spanish. She speaks fluent Filipino. Gillies’ father is Australian. She moved to the US from the Philippines when she was 10. In 2008, she met Pacquiao and is friends with his wife Jinkee and her sisters Janet and Haydee.”

Yesterday, I had a chance of meeting Sugar Shane and I was in the company of Kidapawan City businesswoman Eva Benjamin and her daughter, Dr. Princess Benjamin, who has agreed to co-promote the Edrin Dapudong-Ricardo Nunez world championship fight in March this year.

(Photo caption: Sugar Shane Mosley with Kidapawan City businesswoman Eva Benjamin, who is now involved in boxing, and her daughter, Dr. Princess Benjamin, myself, lawyer Sydney Hall, Mosley’s agent Germaine Gillies and Peter Mutuc.)