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| You don’t nail 'em all in one shot, contrarily, you bleed ‘em slowly. The WBC’s been bleeding boxing for as long as they have been in existence. |
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The Mexican Spin Doctor, the WBC and the Alphabet Soup, Numero Uno
By Scott Mallon
Once again, for the umpteenth time, El Presidente Jose Sulaiman and his roving band of boxing angels at the WBC have attempted to slide their greedy little hands where they shouldn’t; this time by declaring the Pacquiao – Morales fight a title eliminator. As Bob Arum pointed out, super featherweight Humberto Soto was recently involved in a “title eliminator” in the very same division. How many title eliminators can the WBC have? Just what is the purpose of a title eliminator? Aren’t rankings enough?
Sulaiman has now countered Arum publicly, stating that “the WBC did not choose Soto’s opponent and the elimination bout was not a ‘final’ elimination bout but a ‘simple’ eliminator.”
So now we’re going to have simple eliminators and final eliminators? Oy vey.
Pacquaio fought a title eliminator in his second bout against Morales in January but then fought Oscar Larios and now needs to fight in yet another eliminator to prove he is the fighter most deserving of a title shot.
According to Sulaiman, he’s simply misunderstood: “Manny Pacquiao, the WBC´s International Champion, has not declined his participation in a final elimination bout in respect to the WBC´S ruling and therefore, if he wins, in addition to defending successfully his title, Manny Pacquiao will be declared the official challenger to the super-feather championship of the world, in the hands of WBC champion Marco Antonio Barrera.”
He further adds, ”It was a surprise coming from our friend Erik Morales, for who I have even been criticized as if being my adopted son, and from who nothing but respect should he offer to the WBC; but no surprise is to me Bob Arum’s behavior as he just can’t help it in his insistent nasty comments and his belligerent verbal permanent attitude ,even offending and hurting his own friends, just as we believe that we are. It would not be surprising if he is calling us next Monday for the planning of another project.”
How many truly believe Sulaiman’s twaddle?
It’s business, Sulaiman, nothing personal. There’s no need to come off with the drama like a whiny little school girl who’s been snubbed by the captain of the football team.
Boxing’s sanctioning bodies have gotten far too ambitious, not to mention ridiculous. Between the Title Eliminators, International titles, Youth titles, ABCO, PABA, OBPF, etc., etc., etc….soon, there won’t be enough fighters to wear the belts.
The greater the number of championships available = the greater the potential revenue stream.
What fighter is going to say no to being a champion?
Want a world title? Come up with enough money to pay your way into the rankings, possibly picking up some worthless regional title against a fighter with a losing record, and get ranked in the top-ten. When the time (and money) is right, voila, instant title shot.
But when is enough enough? When will the boxing commissions start freezing out the ABC’s ala the Japanese Boxing Commission?
My first proclamation if I were to change boxing would be to throw Sulaiman out on his pathetic rear end. After that, you could boot Mendoza and his band of brothers, trash what’s left of Bob Lee’s club and just for good measure shut down the WBO, IBO, IBA, WBU, WBF, WBE and any of the others I failed to mention. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the United Nations will pass a moratorium on boxing alphabets.
Hey, I admit, I hate all of ‘em with a fervent passion. They’re a scourge on boxing and for every positive, there’s a hundred negatives. Give me newspaper decisions and The Ring magazine over the ABC’s any day. And before gasping, remember that Ring’s fiasco was three decades ago.
Give me fifteen round fights; I’ll take the old days any day.
The WBC is now implementing open scoring – is it going to make boxing that much better?
I personally don’t think so and feel it’s unnecessary. As a sanctioning body, leave boxing alone. Provide the belt and stay out of the way. Sulaiman is boxing’s Eddie Haskel; brownnosing those who choose to enable him and spouting ridiculous gibberish that only he believes and understands.
Has reducing fights from fifteen rounds to twelve reduced the number of deaths in boxing? In a word, no. In fact, from 1900 onwards, only nineteen deaths have taken place between the twelfth and fifteenth round. There has been no scientific research provided proving a twelve round fight is any safer than a fifteen round fight. Willie Classen, Benny Paret, Davey Moore and Johnny Owens – all of their deaths took place in fights that did not make it to the thirteenth round.
A twelve round fight does fit into the hour-long TV time slot much easier than fifteen though.
Speaking of Johnny Owens, read about the WBC’s so-called insurance program:
http://www.johnnyowen.com/Rpts/owen/WBC_disgrace.html
Let’s stop frolicking in Sulaiman’s Playhouse and get to the nit and grit – the dough, the bucks, the cash, the dinero – the M-O-N-E-Y. It’s been proven time and time again the alphabet outlaws operate only on a “show me the money” basis.
The World Boxing Council and Sulaiman are often the brunt of jokes and at the center of allegations of corruption and favoritism. While some of the transgressions may indeed be rumor or exaggeration, over the years Sulaiman and his band of gypsies have committed one misdeed after another. If you listen to or read Sulaiman’s persistent rhetoric though, you’d think he’s wearing a halo and wings. But if he steps in to a court of law, it’s difficult for him to twist his version of the truth into anything more than a Nancy Drew novel.
Just ask Graciano Rocchigiani.
Journal of Combative Sport; May 2006
Death under the Spotlight: The Manuel Velazquez Boxing Fatality Collection
http://ejmas.com/jcs/jcsart_svinth_a_0700.htm
Johnny Owen Website
WBC Insurance Program
http://www.johnnyowen.com/Rpts/owen/WBC_disgrace.html
WBC Boxing
http://www.wbcboxing.com
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Keith:
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Until we have a National Commission of Boxing we will continue to have the ABC's ruin boxing.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 07:06:58 AM
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tomas:
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scott, you still writing articles for ring magazine? a bit biased, maybe? sulaiman is a joke but until you add a disclaimer to your piece maybe, just maybe you are being a bit ..................
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 07:29:16 AM
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Scott:
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I occasionally write for them, yes. HOWEVER - I also write for several other magazines and say what you will about Ring Mag, the fact is it's a hell of alot better than any of the ABC's. Their own fiasco was three decades ago so it's a new generation of journalist writing for them. I'm not sure what disclaimer I need to add - certainly you saw that I said "Give me newspaper decisions and The Ring magazine over the ABC’s any day." Not sure what my writing for Ring mag has to do with anything in this case - you can't even begin to compare Ring Magazine with Sulaiman or any of the ABC's. Ring Mag, Boxing Digest, etc., etc. aren't ruining boxing - the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF are!
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 08:10:28 AM
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tomas:
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scott, your no different than many of the abc's. you make money from the sport of boxing. you offer an opinion. you are paid for your opinion. that opinion may be a correct interpretation of an event or it may not. when it's not do you ever return your pay?that you would praise ring in your piece and the printed media in general might be more of a ' hey guys' i need work' approach. everyone has an agenda scott, so do you.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 09:14:46 AM
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Scott:
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Do I make millions of dollars ripping off or cheating fighters? No.
In fact, nearly all of the money I make goes right back into my travel expenses.
"Hey guys, I need work approach?"
Are you with the WBC or any of the others? Because it\'s far beyond the "hey guys" approach. Think what you like, you\'re entitled to your opinion, but the fact remains that the WBC and all the rest of the organizations are corrupt to the nth degree.
As far as "taking" from boxing or having an agenda....perhaps you should get your facts straight. Like I said, the majority of what I make (and I\'m not getting rich by any means) goes back into my travel expenses. I volunteer my time as an editor for Box Rec, the IBRO and have begun lobbying the Thai government for changes in Thailand\'s boxing system. At considerable risk to my health and well being I might add.
So boxing gets my time and effort - sometimes I\'m compensated and often, I\'m not. There\'s a helluva a difference between my writing about what goes on, some in the form of opinion and some in the form of fact and Sulaiman and the alphabets ruining boxing.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 09:55:39 AM
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tomas:
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scott, now is your chance to put your pen where your mouth is. i would like to know the whole truth as reported by you of course just who the corrupt one's are. not just the wbc but all of the organizations. tell us what you know. if in your travels you find some good report that also. until then i view your recent article, in a round about way, as nothing more than another p.r. release for your sometimes and maybe future employeer, ring magazine.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 10:31:41 AM
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Mexico Way:
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Does anyone really believe Sulaiman and his ilk have been good for boxing? How? Why? Based on what lunatic perspective? Like Mallon wrote, Jose HAS bled the sport dry for decades (with a little help from his friends), and whatever droplets were left, the heads of the other boxing orgs, the so-called alphabets, lapped up thirstily. The author may be slightly off base regarding The Ring, whose credibility seems to have been restored as if by magic, but at least he’s working his butt off in an attempt to elevate and legitimize the sport, which makes him as unlike Sulaiman as is humanly possible.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 10:38:40 AM
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Jacquie:
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Contrary to your report, the Retired Boxers Foundation would like to remind the fans that Jose Suliaman has done many good things for the boxers that go unreported. We have a long list of retired fighters who have been helped by the WBC, including paying for their medical expenses, providing countless surgeries, and medical referrals. In addition, the reduction in rounds from 15 to 12 has made a significant difference in the long-term affects of too many punches. Its not just about death, its about surviving the sport with less injury. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to see that an additional three rounds of pounding on a fighter who is fatigued, would cause damage that cannot be repaired. The Retired Boxers Foundation salutes the WBC for their concern for the athletes and their committment to them when their careers are over. While you are still reading about the wars of our once great warriors, the Retired Boxers FOundation is working like the devil to restore some sense of dignity in their lives. Thank God the writers don't make the rules!
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 11:50:19 AM
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TMP:
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The notion that until we have a "national" (ie. Federal / Gov't) commision...nothing will be "fixed" in boxing is a joke.
The only thing a Federal/Gov't commission on boxing will do...is screw things up worse. The reality is the Gov't will find more ways of taking MORE money from fighters then does the current ABC's title organizations. Of this there is no doubt.
The Gov't has much more important things to do then getting any further involved in sporting events. A Gov't backed system will be more expensive and more corrupted.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 03:59:54 PM
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Scott:
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Tomas - one more thing - does the fact that all of the sanctioning bodies are corrupt make it any more plausible for the WBC to be as such? I don't think so....
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 05:54:27 PM
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PaclandBoxer:
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WBC just wants to have a piece of PACQUIAO... With WBC or not, the PACQUIAO vs. Barrera fight can be easily arranged by their common promoter Golden Boy Promotions... WBC is just afraid that PACQUIAO vs. Barrera will materialized without their blessings and in turn, not earning the fat sanctioning fees...
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 06:29:32 PM
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Scott Mallon:
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Tomas - you make no sense. A P.R. report for Ring Magazine? Rubbish. You're sucking dry my few lines related to Ring Magazine, even though unlike the WBC, they don't take hundreds of thousands of dollars in sanctioning fees - they take ZILCH. Like I said though, I write for all of the magazines, not just The Ring. I'm not on the payroll, I'm freelance.
Second - Indeed, those fighting a twelve round fight are in harm's way 20% less. While the WBC's intentions may have been well placed in reducing the rounds but why not make the fight 10 rounds? Or 3 rounds?Getting hit isn't good for the brain in any way, shape or form. Why not ban the sport all together? Are there less fighters now living with pugilistic dementia than in the past?
This article is the first of a series of articles. Indeed, the WBC and other ABC's have done some good deeds. "While some of the transgressions may indeed be rumor or exaggeration, over the years Sulaiman and his band of gypsies have committed one misdeed after another."
Their misdeeds far outweigh their good deeds. Why pick on the WBC? Frankly because they are considered the biggest and the best at this time. Nothing personal.
Jacquie - Sulaiman has emailed me several times however the WBC did not respond to my requests for information. I'm aware of the RBF and will send you an email. I have no problem writing about the good deeds of the WBC.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 07:34:11 PM
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Jill Diamond:
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Scott -- I haven\'t been around boxing long enough to know how much of what you say is true. I do know that in some cases, you offer opinion as fact. Also that you continually single out this one organization.
I love boxing. I come from a family of boxers. All they wanted was the Green Belt. Problems, issues, contradictions... perhaps, but a symbol of greatness in this community.
Have you heard of World Boxing Cares? Well today I walked into a Youth Center in the South Bronx with 6 WBC Champions, toys, laughter and inspirational speeches. Yesterdy, Tito visited a home for abused children in P.R. At the convention in Croatia we went to a hospital for handicapped children and an orphanage. We are currently working with hospitals and youth centers in the 163 countries under the WBC Banner. We couldn\'t have done any of this without Jose and the WBC. It was his determination and generosity that led us here. He spearheaded this program without hesitation.
You\'re a good writer. Say what you want, but try and put a little objectivity behind it.
Respectfully,
Jill
Wednesday Nov 15, 2006 09:20:24 PM
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Scott Mallon:
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As I said, I will indeed write about the WBC's good deeds. Over the years though their misdeeds have far outweighed their good deeds.
While I think it's admirable the WBC helps children, what about fighters like Gerald Mclelland? What is he getting?
Why isn't anyone complaining about what the fighters get for their three percent?
In other words, while it's nice that children in need are benefiting from the generosity of the WBC, shouldn't the monies be going back to the fighters? After all, it's the fighters who have made the WBC and paid with their blood. Where is the money coming from to help the handicapped children and the orphanage?
Some of what I write is opinion, some is indeed fact that has been documented.
Why is it Sulaiman has such a problem with Rocchiggiani? It was proven in a court of law that the WBC's championship policy was detrimental to him financially and yet instead of owning up and simply admitting the WBC erred, Sulaiman instead continues to feign ignorance, stating he can't understand the courts ruling.
According to court documents and the lawyer for the German,
"the jury was disgusted by the behavior and arrogance of the WBC in its taking away of a title that had been won in the ring."
How much clearer does that need to be?
Why is it in a recent press conference WBC representative and ABCO secretary Edward Tangarajah publicly stated "I hope Pongsaklek Wonjongkam wins in his fight against Monelisi Myekeni."
Isn't he supposed to be unbiased?
Like I said, I'll definitely have further articles about the WBC, Sulaiman and the other alphabets. I have no problem writing about the good as well as the bad...Maybe along the way I'll be enlightened and hopefully readers will be as well.....
Thursday Nov 16, 2006 12:00:50 AM
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tomas:
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scott, i don't gve a hoot aout the wbc but you paint with a wide brush my friend. by the way you tipped your hat when you said maybe the united nations will fix things. are you kidding me? you liberals crack me up.
Thursday Nov 16, 2006 08:13:05 AM
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Scott:
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You really are not very bright are you Tomas?
Thursday Nov 16, 2006 08:52:48 AM
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tomas:
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maybe not scott but bright enough to know a shill when i see one. hope ring is good to you.
Saturday Nov 18, 2006 04:10:13 PM
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Scott:
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You truly are an idiot and my guess is that you work for the WBC or are one of their blind followers. Why don't you look at how many articles I've written for Ring, find out how much is paid per article and then tell me how much of a shill I am and how good to me they are. You're either a moron or just trying to get under my skin.
If you knew a tenth of as much as you think you do you'd be dangerous but since you really, truly haven't a clue, my point stands - you're dumber than a rock.
Sunday Nov 19, 2006 07:55:30 PM
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zeljko:
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scott, here in eastern europe the ring belt means little ,as it should. that you continue to support such an outdated concept speaks volumes about your motives. perhaps you should strive to become 'dumber than a rock' progress you know? how much do they pay anyway?
Saturday Nov 25, 2006 06:32:45 AM
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Scott:
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Zeljko - I did one article for them that paid $200. I've done several fight write-ups and they pay around $50 including one of my photos.
My backing the Ring ratings hasn't anything to do with my writing for them but more because I believe they are the better choice. Ring ratings may not be perfect but surely they are better than any of the sanctioning bodies ratings.
Take a look at who the best fighters in the world are and see how many of the sanctioning bodies rank the ten best fighters in any division. I'd wager that the Rings ratings are immensely better than the WBC, WBA, WBO or IBFs.
Ask yourself how many times someone ranked number one by the ABCs hasn't been anywhere near this. The bottom line is the most deserving fighters need to fight for the championship and I don't see any ranking system better than The Rings. Until there is one Ill support their ratings over the sanctioning bodies, regardless of whether I write for them or not.
Monday Nov 27, 2006 09:40:18 AM
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tomas:
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scott, i notice that you not only write for ring but you are now a member of their ratings advisory panel. so answer me this oh smart guy. is it you who is responsible for showing both john ruiz and arturo gatti as top rated contenders in their division. or will you claim no responsibility for that obvious goof???
Thursday Nov 30, 2006 09:34:17 AM
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Barry:
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My guess he works for the WBC also. I mean hell...anyone trying to validate, or even sympathize with any of the ABC clowns either works for the lame organizations, or they just simply have little clue as to what they are talking about! The ABC clowns have hurt boxing more so than any other corrupt, self-serving entity which has leeched on the sport...and there are quite a few of those, except the ABC clowns have just about sucked the sport dry!!!
The WBC, the IBF and the WBA...they're all the same...not one of the ABC clowns has the least bit of integrity toward the sport and they are all interested only in those outrageous sanctioning fees and only in what benefits the vampires in they’re group and they are killing boxing, sucking it dry!!!
What are some of the great things the ABC clowns have brought us...multiple champions and a different weight class every three pounds from 105 to heavyweight...well...some divisions actually have a difference of seven pounds between trinkets. The two things that have hurt boxing the most...multiple, and I do mean multiple, world trinket holders (they're not champions) and 17 weight classes...thanks a lot WBA, WBC and IBF...you have almost killed what it means for a boxer to be a world champion...a true world champion...you have killed the phrase "World Boxing Champion" and you have damn near killed boxing. How about doing us all a big favor and drink the “cool-aide.”
Saturday Dec 30, 2006 09:58:28 PM
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Angie And Goody...23 Years Later
Twenty three years later after they seconded Marvin Hagler and Ray Leonard in Las Vegas, Goody Petronelli and Angelo Dundee crossed paths again. This time, it was at Foxwoods. Photo/friend of TSS "The Iceman" John Scully reports there were only pleasantries exchanged. Goody didn't debate the split decision victory enjoyed by Leonard, which to this day Hagler disputes.
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