Say "No" to the Alphabet Soup Organizations in Boxing

by Paul Magno

I don't know of any real fight fans who actually like boxing's four major sanctioning bodies (WBO, WBC, WBA, IBF). As a matter of fact, hardcore fans are unanimous in their disgust for these "Alphabet Soup" Organizations.

The laundry list of offenses is too long to detail in one short article, but with only their own self-interest in mind, these groups have committed just about every offense possible against the sport and it's athletes.

For this reason, The Boxing Tribune is spearheading the campaign to discredit and eventually eliminate these blights on the sport. We urge all fans and websites to join in and support the cause for the betterment of the sport. A large, vocal movement may give fighters and managers the courage and incentive to ditch these now meaningless belts and bring the sport back to where it needs to be.

Join the movement: www.Facebook.com/boxing.reform

It's easy to say "Ditch the Sanctioning Bodies," but what does that really mean and how can the sport exist without the current power structure? Here's a FAQ-style rundown of some of the major sticking points of this movement:

Why get rid of the sanctioning bodies?

To be kind, they're very unnecessary. To be real, they are a blight on the sport and merely exist to line their pockets with the hard-earned money fighters truly deserve. Aside from the bribes and kickbacks that most acknowledge as real parts of the ranking procedure, there's the issue of sanctioning fees. About 3 percent of fighter's purses in all championship fights and official eliminators are handed over to the sanctioning body in charge of the fight...we're talking 5 and 6 figure sanctioning fees just for the right to hold the belt that they earned on their own. But if this isn't bad enough...all 4 major organizations regularly invent new belts and new titles in order to extract more money from more fighters...So, with compromised rankings and a landscape littered with World, Interim, Regular, Super, Diamond, International and Silver champions, the continued existence of these groups is not only bad for the fighters who want a fair, even playing field but, also, for the casual fans who want to follow the sport but get no clear idea of who's who because of all the diluted titles and cartoonish corruption.


Fighters use the sanctioning bodies and the lesser belts as a ladder to climb in their development...What will the young fighters do to get that push and be seen by a large group of fans?

Well, they'd do what they've historically done: Win, make a name for themselves and fight their way to the top. Why should the sanctioning bodies be involved in promoting fighters to new heights? That's what promoters are for. The sanctioning bodies should be for protecting the fighters and making sure that all are fighting on an even playing field.


What about the history and title lineages that accompany these sanctioning bodies?

Well, the sanctioning bodies, as we know them, have only been around since 1962 when some members of the NBA (National Boxing Association) executed a hostile take over of the organization and moved it out of US jurisdiction, renaming it the WBA. Eliminating the modern organizations will do nothing to lessen the importance of the great fighters of the past. And, as far as title lineages go, the arbitrary rules of the sanctioning bodies have already compromised a good share of title lineages.

Ok, They're corrupt, but what would boxing do without at least some sort of sanctioning body?

I'm not endorsing chaos in the sport. Boxing does, indeed, need a sanctioning body, but it needs an organization that will do the right thing and put the sport ahead of the wallets of the boss men. The sport can operate on the same level as other sports do, but a house cleaning is desperately needed in order to start the cleansing process. In the absence of the Alphabet Soup Crew and while a new sanctioning body is being formed, local and state commissions could handle the record keeping and other logistical duties while, short term, the media could handle the rankings. I'll admit, this is not an ideal situation, but the only way to reform is to remove the offending parties. If they still exist and operate as usual, their stranglehold on the sport would be too strong to enact any reform.


Why not work from within and try to reform the existing sanctioning bodies?

48 years of repeat offending have shown us that they simply will not clean up their act...and there's nothing we can really do to force them. Three of the Four sanctioning bodies are based outside US jurisdiction and the one US-based group, the IBF, has already been busted, disassembled and re-formed with little real change.


How can we even do this?

Getting rid of the sanctioning bodies would be as easy as cutting off the cash supply. Six to Nine months of no sanctioning fees or kick-backs would significantly cripple them. A lot depends on whether fighters and managers would join in the movement or if they'd rather continue on with the corrupt current scene that allows them a chance to buy their way to the top. I guess this movement would also say a lot about the integrity of many active participants in the sport and whether they'd choose to play on a level playing field if given a choice.

How can we ensure that the next sanctioning body wouldn't fall into the same corrupt pattern as the ones we have now?

Remove the profit factor and the veil of secrecy; That would just about do it. Make the rankings based upon a fair, objective formula that takes activity and level of opposition within a given weight class into consideration. Publish the formula, make it simple enough to verify and keep it as an untouchable method of ranking fighters. When it comes to money issues, make all financial dealings 100% transparent. Yes, sanctioning fees do need to be charged, but the current rate is too high. A scaled-down, small government-style sanctioning body would require less of an operating budget than the massive bureaucracies that currently exist only to sustain themselves. The new sanctioning body's responsibilities would be to supervise the officials, ensure for the safety of the fighters and oversee officially sanctioned bouts. All of this, of course, would take place in complete transparency with all meetings transcribed, observed and posted in a public forum and all revenue paths clearly earmarked.

Believe me, I have no delusions of grandeur regarding this issue. Maybe this is the greatest of pipe dreams, but I owe a lot to this sport and have nothing but the greatest respect for those warriors who risk their lives each and every time they step into the ring. To have a bunch of middle-aged confidence men divvying up these warriors' hard-earned money is just obscene. And to have the sport riddled with bogus titles and bought rankings that ruin all credibility is sickening. I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least make my voice heard...this is your chance to make your voices heard as well...And, maybe, together we can make a loud enough noise.

Join the movement...Say "No" to the Alphabet Soup Organizations in Boxing:

www.Facebook.com/boxing.reform

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Montiel Stops Hasegawa in Four

WBO Bantamweight champ, Fernando Montiel, got his career back on the fast track by scoring a TKO over reigning WBC champ, Hozumi Hasegawa in Hasegawa's hometown of Tokyo, Japan.

After a dead-even first round, Montiel came on to have a solid second, followed by a Hasegawa-controlled third.

The fourth round was mostly Hasegawa's until Montiel landed a pair of left hooks at the end of the round that shook the Japanese world champion. Hasegawa was stunned and essentially defenseless, with one hand draped over the ring rope and Montiel landing at will.

Referee Laurence Cole stepped in and waved off the bout with just a couple of seconds left in the round. The stoppage was quick for some tastes, but it was obvious that Hasegawa was in bad shape and Montiel could've inflicted some real damage.

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Americans, Get Over Yourselves: Klitschkos Are Kings!

by Paul Magno

Boxing fans from 110 countries around the world will be watching a world heavyweight title fight this Saturday as Wladimir Klitschko defends his IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against, literally, America's last chance at snagging a real heavyweight title, "Fast" Eddie Chambers.

If you're reading this in the United States, though, you'll have to settle for a $14.95 internet-only pay per view screening on the small screen.

Sounds frickin' insane.

I sort of buy HBO's excuse that the European start time would be too early in the United States and would take a beating against the NCAA basketball tourney. So, for the money required, the bout is not economically viable for the network. Ok.

But what I can't understand is the sentiment among American fight fans and the almost glee some are taking that the fight isn't being broadcast.

The excuse made is that the Klitschkos are boring and that Wladimir, especially, is a chore to watch.

However, these same fans that whine about the Klitschkos are often the same ones who have high regard for a guy like Ivan Calderon, the jr. flyweight champ whose fights often turn into mind-numbing track meets. And these are the same fans who tolerate Paulie Malignaggi's jab-and-grabs and HBO-supported Rocky Juarez as he tries for one world title after another.

I don't buy the critics' sudden high standards when it comes to the fights they watch.

It's more likely that the critics are just frustrated that no American fighter can come close to handling the Eastern European kingpins. Americans are supposed to rule the heavyweight division; It's our division, home of Ali, Marciano, Dempsey, Louis and Frazier.

So, with an absence of dominant US heavyweights and with little hope for the future, the fans have just taken to ignoring the Klitschkos. "Let's just close our eyes and make believe they don't exist...we'll open them in a couple of years and hope for the best."

Yes, it's frustrating to see fighter after fight fall at the hands of the Klitschkos, but since when has the American attitude been, "If you can't beat 'em, marginalize 'em?"

It's not Wlad's and Vitali's fault that Tony Thompson and Kevin Johnson couldn't pull the trigger, it's not their fault that Sam Peter and Ruslan Chagaev were shut out and it sure as hell isn't their fault that Chris Arreola keeps losing the directions to his gym.

I'm not a big fan of the Klitschkos and I'll be overjoyed if Eddie Chambers finds a way to bring home the world title, but I think it's just plain petty that the American public, en masse, has decided to proudly snub the legit world champions.

Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko have taken on all comers and have conducted themselves with class and dignity. And, no, sorry...they are not overwhelmingly boring.

America, get over yourself...If you can't build the perfect heavyweight, at least recognize the best of the best right now. You should be ashamed of yourself for marginalizing the world champion; You shouldn't be celebrating the fact that you've succeeded in burying your head in the sand.

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Marvin Sonsona vs.Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.; The Way Boxing Should Be

by Paul Magno

As 19-year old Filipino phenom and former world titlist, Marvin Sonsona, prepares to clash with the son of a Puerto Rican legend, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., this Saturday, all old school boxing traditionalists have to be sporting a satisfied grin.

These days, the boxing purist is being outsourced to parts unknown and in his place is a generation of fans that take record-padding and boxing politics for granted as part of the sport.

The new breed of fan will never understand how, in the old days, hotshot prospects actually fought one another on the way up, forging their skills until bursting onto the world stage as a professional, battle-hardened fighting machine.

Nowadays, a prospect will be spoon fed until a mega-payday and title shot against some paper champion comes his way. Then, and only then, will the world see if the young star truly has what it takes to be a world class fighter. That's why we have guys like Andre Berto and Nonito Donaire sporting two and three year title reigns, respectively, without having faced more than one world-class challenger apiece.

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Paul Williams...Still the Champ Nobody Wants.

by Simon Garner

In the Summer 2007, Paul Williams took on Antonio Margarito at the Home Depot Centre in Carson California for the WBO Welterweight championship. It was Williams’ first shot at a world title belt. He defeated the now disgraced Mexican 147-pounder by unanimous decision and established himself as one of the top guys in the division.

However, a points loss to Carlos Quintana followed by a vindictive 1st round knock-out in the rematch, left “The Punisher” with somewhat of a conundrum. No one wanted to fight him. He wasn’t a big enough name to bring in the big bucks. But at the same time, he was too risky a fight for a made fighter to take.

Since then he has been forced to move up the divisions to look for meaningful fights. First, with a one-round demolition of Andy Kolle, followed by an 8th round stoppage of Verno Phillips to claim the interim WBO Light-Middleweight title belt and a wide 12 round decision over former champion, Winky Wright.

Williams was then set up to fight Kelly Pavlik later this year, however, due to whatever reason, that bout has now been cancelled (official story from Camp Pavlik was that it was due to a knuckle injury, but it is well known that Pavlik recently checked into rehab due to alcohol dependency).

Therefore, Paul Williams has been left high and dry without anyone to fight…sound familiar?

He has two choices in my eyes. Hang around and wait for a big money fight, or cut his losses and fight a smaller name for less money, hoping that a household name is available in February/March.

Lets now look at some potential fights for “The Punisher”:

Welterweight:

For starters, I don’t think Williams can make welterweight easily. The last time he fought there was over a year ago. Now I’m not saying he’s an Eric Morales or a Ricky Hatton, but I imagine his body will have adapted to the higher weight – but hey, I could be wrong. And according to George Peterson, Williams’ trainer, he is currently around 150lb.
So, who’s available:

· Shane Mosley – seems like the obvious candidate. He’s a big name, if not a big money name, and is free either in the short term or later next year. He’s fought at 147lb and 154lb so could be flexible on that issue. The only problem for Williams is the obvious one – he might get beat! Mosley has been one of the most consistent performers over the last 10 years at least and has beaten some big names. If Carlos Quintana can outbox Williams, Mosley sure as hell can.
· Andre Berto/ Joshua Clottey – both up and coming names in the 147lb division and are available in October. However, they are not big names and their camps, especially in the case of Berto, are unlikely to risk their fighter against a man like Williams.

Light-Middleweight:

· Kermit Cintron – I think this would be a fairly easy fight for Williams and he’s a fairly big name fighter. Williams is currently the WBO Interim champ and Cintron is the no.1 contender so this could easily be billed as a title eliminator.
· Sergiy Dzinziruk – current WBO 154lb champ and free in October. Negotiations stalled between the two parties but given the cancellation of the Pavlik-Williams fight, a fight can now be made.
· Sergio Mora - ………anyway……….

Middleweight:

· Felix Sturm – current WBA Champ, but fought as recently as July. Any fight would probably take place later on in the year but due to Sturm’s reluctance to fight outside of his native Germany, it is unlikely this fight could be made unless the money was right.

Above Middleweight:

· Bernard Hopkins – a fight that has already been discussed heavily on the BTBC Forum. The news coming out of the Williams camp though is that the fight would have to be at 165lb for them to even consider fighting, so then it would depend on Hopkins. I imagine Bernard would sooner wait on the winner of Dawson-Johnson II or Thomas Adamek.

I believe that if Williams is to go above 160, he should only do it to fight Hopkins. The reasoning being, that if he beats Hopkins – there is no one left to fight at the weight because they are all tied up with the “Super Six” tournament.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, Paul Williams’ best option would be to go down to 147lb and get in amongst it. If he beats say…Shane Mosley, he’ll turn heads and could end up fighting one of the box office names like Pretty Boy Floyd.

A more realistic option maybe to go to 154lb, fight Dzinziruk and maybe unify the belts. By staying at this weight he leaves himself the option of taking fights at a lower weight or at 160lb later next year if Pavlik has picked himself up off the bar floor.

Taking a fight with Hopkins is always risky as “The Ghost” showed. I believe Williams would win due to the shear volume of punches he throws against an aging warrior like “The Executioner.” However, his biggest problem would be how he deals with his weight after the bout.

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Miguel Cotto: Boxing's Whipping Boy?

I've been racking my brain to remember a time when a defending world champion with as much credibility as Miguel Cotto has been treated so dismissively by his opponents, the sanctioning body he represents and the very promoter who is supposed to have his best interests in mind.

The disrespect tossed at Cotto has been a lesson for all those "good soldiers" in the sport who tow the company line and keep their mouths shut.

The first "dis" came following Cotto's brutal beatdown at the hands of Antonio Margarito.

As everyone knows, Margarito was found to be wearing hand wraps coated with a "plaster-like" substance prior to his bout with Shane Mosley. When people put two and two together many put a big question mark over all of Margarito's wins, most notably his brutal destruction of Miguel Cotto and the grotesque manner in which he battered Cotto's face.

Top Rank honcho and alleged member of Team Cotto, Bob Arum, spent most of the "Plaster Gate" scandal defending Margarito and denying the loaded wrap claims...at the expense of the feelings of probable victim, Miguel Cotto.

Cotto sat back and remained the strong silent type, only occasionally giving voice to the anger he felt inside for the possible cheat and the frustration of having his own promoter defend the fighter who may have, literally, stolen millions from him when his loss ruined the chance of a showdown with Oscar De la Hoya.

Then, after suffering a beating that may have been caused by an illegal substance and having his promoter turn his back on him, Manny Pacquiao jumps in and claims the glory that could very well have been his by knocking off Oscar.

Cotto is forced into a nothing fight with Michael Jennings and a tough battle with Joshua Clottey for a fraction of the pay he would've received from a De la Hoya bout.

All this leads to an eventual big money showdown with Manny Pacquiao where despite being the reigning champ, he is forced to give in to every one of Pacquiao's demands, including an arbitrary 145 lb. limit.

While the blame for this weak negotiating falls squarely on Team Cotto, it should be pointed out that the intermediary, Arum, never once lifted a finger to argue on Cotto's side of the table...despite having just lured Cotto to a two-year extension on his Top Rank contract.

Now, the latest indignity for Cotto is that he's being told to either put up his WBO Welterweight title for the Pacquiao fight or be forced to vacate.

Cotto's take on this and, in my opinion, the correct one, is that since a world Welterweight title is fought between 140 and 147, it is against the organization's rules to be forced to fight at an arbitrary catchweight for the title.

The WBO, of course, cares little about fair play and professionalism and decided to counter Cotto's correct assertion by making Pacquiao their number one contender at 147 despite only one win at Welter, against an unranked De la Hoya.

Like it or not, Cotto will put up his hard-earned title and, without a doubt, it should be made clear that he's being forced to. If Cotto balks, he will find himself without the title and it will be Pacquiao's to win, anyway.

How's that for respectful treatment of a veteran champion?

Beaten with illegal wraps, Your cheating conqueror defended by your own promoter, your promotional company allowing you to be raped in negotiations and the sanctioning body you represent forcing you to ignore their own bylaws and put the belt on the line...Geesh!

It's no wonder guys like De la Hoya and Mayweather opted to be on their own as soon as they reached the top...there's just no loyalty among thieves.

The best revenge for Cotto is to come into the Pacquiao fight, saddled with every possible psychological disadvantage, and stop the insanity right then and there with a big win...but, even then, he has to contend with the officials, who are always up for a good screw job, especially if it's in favor of a fighter "about to make history" with seven titles in seven weight divisions.

Miguel Cotto deserves better.

- Paul Magno

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Eddie Chambers Keeps Hope Alive

In a sterile German boxing arena, on The Fourth of July and with the total and complete indifference of his countrymen, Eddie Chambers was to be sacrificed to the next upcoming Eastern Block Heavyweight sensation, Alexander "Sasha" Dimitrenko in a WBO Title Eliminator.

It was to be a career-builder for the 27-year old Ukraine, 6'7", 253 lb. beast against a much smaller American who had come up short against Alexander Povetkin, the last time he fought an Eastern European prospect in Germany.

Unfortunately for Team Dimitrenko, somebody forgot to inform Chambers that he would be playing the role of cannon fodder.

The American underdog practically strutted to the ring with the look of someone who knew something the rest of the world would soon find out.

Chambers had obviously taken his training seriously, coming into the bout weighing 208 lbs, his lightest since 2003.

As the fight began, you could clearly notice the usual rolls around Chamber's mid-section were gone and he just looked lighter, quicker on his feet.

Dimitrenko took the first three or four rounds with black and white offense and sticking out a long jab a la Wladimir Klitschko.

Chambers, while not absorbing punishment, was obviously jockeying for position and working out a way to deal with the jab of a fighter six inches taller and 45 pounds heavier than him. He swatted hard at Dimitrenko's outstretched left arm and, in doing so, didn't allow Dimitrenko to use it as a way to keep distance.

Around the fifth round, Chambers found his rhythm and began working his way inside Dimitrenko's long reach and registering some major damage with solid body work and a wicked uppercut.

By the seventh, it was clear that Dimtrenko had bitten off a little more than he could chew and was being worn down by the American. Chambers was given credit for a knockdown in seventh, after a body blow that Dimitrenko insisted was a kidney shot.

The rest of the fight was a Chambers highlight reel with him picking the prospect apart and establishing his place among the Heavyweight elite.

Chambers scored another knockdown in the 10th with a wicked left/right combination that sent Dimitrenko's mouthpiece flying.

The last two round were characterized by Dimtrenko trying to rally with aggressive surges, but all of them ending with Chambers firing back and forcing the aggressor back into the ropes.

Two of the three judges were fair, 116-111, 117-109, with the other one, British judge Paul Thomas, scoring the fight a ridiculous 113-113 draw. The BTBC scored the bout 115-112 for Chambers.

With this victory comes the opportunity to fight Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO World Heavyweight Title and, also, the chance to finally bring a piece of the heavyweight title scene back to the United States.

It's just too bad that the American media, American boxing pundits and even the American fight fan couldn't be bothered to show the least bit of interest.

Sometimes it makes me wonder what disappeared first: The quality, American heavyweight boxer or the quality, American fight fan.

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