Pay up Pacquiao or be stripped of title, Sulaiman says

CHENGDU, China - Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao must cough up $30,000 within the next 15 days or be stripped of his World Boxing Council lightweight title, the WBC said on Thursday.

Boxer Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines waves to fans during a news conference at Liberty Island in New York October 1, 2008. [Agencies]

The boxing body's governors, meeting in Chengdu, are demanding the fighter pay sanctioning fees they say he owes, or they will take his belt.

"Manny Pacquiao is a great champion and the pride of the WBC. But he believes he is the ruler of the organisation and that is not going to happen," WBC President Jose Sulaiman told Reuters.

"If he doesn't want to do it, he goes his way and we go our way. He has made a fortune with the WBC. He became famous fighting WBC Champions like Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales and now he's trying to kick us in the back and send us home. We cannot do that.

"I am very disappointed because he's a friend, he is the hero of President Arroyo and of the whole country of the Philippines, and I feel very bad because of the way that we've been treated. But the phone is there and the door is open."

The WBC is also insisting Pacquiao pay $100,000 within 15 days of his anticipated fight against Oscar De La Hoya or face the same punishment. That non-title fight is scheduled for December 6.