World Boxing Council’s 46th annual convention
Posted on | November 6, 2008 | No Comments
WORLD BOXING COUNCIL NEWS
November 3, 2008 – Chengdu, People’s Republic of China
The World Boxing Council’s 46th annual convention opened this morning at the Jinjiang Hotel in downtown Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province in southwestern China. With a population of 11 million, Chengdu is one of the most important economic and transportation centers in the area, which is the native habitat of the Giant Panda, as well.
In his opening speech, WBC President Dr. José Sulaimán said, “Ladies and gentleman, friends in boxing, distinguished government representatives of China and Chengdu: We are coming to a nation that gave birth to civilization, with a history that rates as one of the greatest in mankind. But we also come with our hearts full of sadness and sorrow for the tragedy of a massive earthquake that took so many lives and produced a gigantic devastation.Our sorrow has changed into a profound admiration and respect to see our brothers in China take their great suffering with admirable silence, with outstanding courage, with the strength and determination to overcome adversity. The WBC comes to this nation with our deepest sympathy for all those that suffered this tragedy, as well as our strongest standing of support and solidarity.
“The administration of the term 2004 to 2008 will be ending at this convention and elections will be held for the selection of officers for the following four years just at the time when I am celebrating 33 long years since my first election in Tunis, Africa, in 1975: 33 years that have blown away as fast as the wind; 33 years that seem to me that it was only yesterday; one third of a full century that has gone into the depths of time and shaken strongly the emotions of civilization as few times ever before in the history of the world. From the assassination of President Kennedy and Reverend King, it’s made a tremendous impact in the world – the conquest of the moon to the fall of the Berlin wall; from the discoveries in science and medicine for the improvement of life to the sanctity and death of His Holiness John Paul II; from the rise and death of Mao Tse-Tung to the victory against apartheid, and we keep counting.
“All through those glorious times that I remember with a deep nostalgia, I picture myself coming into the presidency as a young, naïve man that did not know that boxing was a volcano in constant eruption. I came full of dreams and enthusiasm and totally committed to be a part of a generation of boxing lovers who devoted the best of ourselves in our efforts to leave an indelible mark of our passing through life, to set an example for future generations.
“And I would like here to pause to remember, with profound affection, my humble admiration of our forefathers, my unforgettable mentors, who have gone into the path of no return. Our WBC heroes: my unforgettable friends Piero Pini, Bobby Naidoo, Professor Velazquez, Colonel Hassine Hamouda, Fernand LeClerc, Onslow Fane, Bob Turley, Jim Deskin, Alexander Elliot, Antonio Sciarra, Henry Piquet, Sir David Hopkin, my brother Hector, Sombhop Srisomvongse, and among countless others the recent passing away of my dearest friend, Ruben Martinez – all who built with their principles, loyalty, determination and integrity the prestige of this great WBC, which is the only authenic representation of professional boxing by 164 commissions affiliated in the world – represented by all of you of the present generation – here today in this room.
“During all those 33 years we have celebrated countless accomplishments, but also failures; much happiness and smiles, but also tears and disillusionment; dreams that disappeared into nothing, but also many more that became realities, like if anybody would ask me which was my best accomplishment of my times, it would be, without a doubt, our unwavering efforts to eradicate from the face of the earth apartheid, the most despicable of human behaviors.
“In 1975, we still had boxing as a legalized act of savages that we have changed into the safest and most pretected sport, as never before, in the 300-year history of the sport of boxing.
“Our doctors discovered fatigue as the most dangerous in our sport and took the courageous decision of changing the 15 rounds of the past, for its taking boxers over the limits of human endurance, and brought in the 12 round rule, wich is today the standard in the world.
“We found the weigh-in ceremonies done the same day of the fight to be an inhuman dehydration of a human body. We changed it to 24 hours before the bouts. For many boxers were inhumanly sacrificed to get rid of excessive weight within 30 days before a fight, and the WBC implemented the official pre-weigh-in 30 and seven days before the date of the fight, with a 10 and five percent, respectively, of overweight allowance. Boxers used to sacrifice themselves in a weight that they couldn’t make anymore, and we brought in the intermediate weight divisions like super fly, super bantam, etcetera.
“Sonny Liston, Archie Moore, Jose Napoles and many others remained for years the number-one of the world in their divisions without any opportunites for the title. The WBC brought in the mandatory yearly defenses by champions against challengers with the highest merits.
“After almost a century of having continous face-cuts, many dangerous concussions and brain damage, the WBC introduced the rule of eliminating the six-ounce gloves and substituted for them eight and 10-ounces for better protection.
“After countless retina detachments by the illegal use of thumbs by rival boxers, the WBC invented the thumb-attached glove that has practically totally eliminated them.
“With a history of dangerous injuries and life-threatening substances used on the eyebrows and the face for more than a century, the WBC prohibited dangerous hemostatics, smelling salts, and instituted the exclusive use of adrenaline 1/1000, which is absolutely safe.
“After 200 years of the use of the three-rope rings and after the deaths of several boxers, including Davey Moore, who died after falling on the lower rope with the back of his head in his fight against Sugar Ramos, the WBC brought in the four-rope ring, which is today used all over the world.
“After a lifetime of boxers going to hospitals without any economical help, even by promoters, as well as families being left penniless after the death of boxers in the ring, the WBC instituted the life and hospital insurance that has helped so many boxers and so many families.
“Retired boxers, who after winning fame and money live today a life of poverty and desperation, have today a pension plan by the WBC to help them with food, medicines, and hospital needs. We wish that we could help many, many more in the world.
“Due to constant unfairness in fouls not seen by the referees or other controversial acts in the ring, the WBC brought in the modern instant video replay to review those actions and bring unwavering justice into the sport.
“Boxing has been forever the only sport that remained a mystery up to the sounding of the the bell for the last round. The WBC instituted the well-accepted – and supported by the public and the corners of the boxers – open scoring after the fourth and the eighth rounds so that the public knows how the fights are going, and so the boxers can adjust their techniques in the corners.
“Medicine in boxing in 1975 was only the medical exam during the weigh-ins of the heart rate, blood pressure, and ‘Open your mouth and God bless you.’ Today, we have a WBC World Medical Board, chaired by Dr. Paul Wallace, that has had two World Medical Congresses, as well as many others through the years, with ring doctors coming from more than 80 countries to attend those congresses. Thanks to the recommendation of the medical board, the WBC has reduced the 20 deaths of those years to the two or three or four of today.
“The appointment of a WBC Ring Officials Committee chaired today by Hubert Minn – and Arthur Mercante and Tom Kaczmarek in the past – have instituted constant performance clinics and basic guidelines for judges and referees. When the WBC has had the authority to appoint its own neutral ring officials, I do not remember one single unfair decision. The judges and referees of the WBC are the unquestionable best in the world.
“The ratings in the sport of boxing have been constantly been called corrupted, biased and unfair by many. With the creation of the WBC world ratings committee, chaired by Frank Quill, formed with outstanding historians and experts of boxing from all the different continents of the world, the ratings of the WBC have become the standard to be followed. Our members of the ratings committee are incorruptible, extremely competant, with transparent integrity and impartiality.
“The modern times in boxing with dozens, or hundreds, of TV stations and countless promoters and even more great upcoming fighters, could not remain only with the WBC world championships. And for the benefit of boxers and promoters all over the world, and the science of TV, the WBC has instituted with enormous success the WBC International Championships headed by Mauro Betti, the WBC Muay Thai World Championships presided by General Kovid Bhakdibhumi, the Youth Professional World Titles chaired by Rex Walker, the Female World Championships chaired by Ed Pearson and assisted by Jill Diamond, the Continental Americas titles presided by Roy Van Putten, the Mediterranean titles chaired by Houcine Houchi, the Baltic Sea Championships presided by Edmund Lipinsky, and the Latin American Championships presided by Alberto Guerra. They have become some of the very best and most popular titles in the world.
“The WBC instituted in 1976 the antidoping tests, and we have implemented a world program for the prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol abuse and AIDS. We eliminated referees’ scoring to dedicate them exclusively to safety and respect of the boxing rules. We have helped in building gymnasiums in underdeveloped countries. We have helped many boxers in rehabilitation institutions to recover from the cancer of today, which is drugs. The WBC has had so many other accomplishments that would take much longer to detail.
“All of that has been done with the unity and perserverance of our unbreakable friendship, loyalty, and love for the sport of boxing of the WBC – all of you who are here at this convention, and those that have gone into the path of no return. I feel most proud of that because I believe that you all have written history in the world.
“As tired, disillusioned and frustrated as sometimes by closest friends might have seen me, I have dedicated my whole life to boxing and to the WBC and I have unwaveringly struggled for my principles and those of the organization. I have never kissed any hands, nor have I begged for sympathy or mercy. We have always acted with confidence in our integrity, with faith and strength in the righteousness of our direction, with unwavering courage, even at times when others close to me have weakened. We have done it to take any action for the sake of justice and compassion for the most needed, as well as to keep the dignity of the WBC intact.
“I believe that the future carries many more challenges for the sport of boxing, mainly today due to the excessive ambitions and intentions of monopolizing the sport, especially by some television companies which the WBC must confront with the same dedication, faith, perseverance and calculated risks to take any action for the benefit of boxers and boxing, and we still have many problems to resolve.
“Looking into the future, there are several important matters that need the WBC’s full attention and decisive action to resolve. The first one – during my first visit to Thailand I found again an old hero of mine. His name: Saensak Muangsurin, who conquered the WBC world title in his third professional fight, married a very beautiful actress in his prime, had a son. But when he started to go down he lost his wife, his son, his beautiful home, and lived penniless, like a live dead walking man. It came to my mind the countless other former boxers who conquered the idolatry of the world, but who now live in poverty and tears, reminiscing the old days of glory. This is a matter that can not continue. There should not be one single promoter in the world, not one single manager, not one single boxing promotion or commissioner who should not be embarrassed by seeing our heroes in disgrace, penniless at the end of their lives. The WBC must do something to help them live with dignity. To try to overcome this embarrassing situation, the WBC must approach all promoters to propose to them their unification in implementing a program by which one dollar is paid by every fan entering a boxing arena for a WBC fight to open a trust fund handled by a special committee, independent, for a pension plan to help those fallen into a such a terrible condition.
“Boxing is today going some very difficult promotional conditions that could very well deeply hurt our industry. It needs to bury the hatchets to look for mutual understanding and unity of promoters defending their own promotional rights and opportunities. Boxing could not exist without the promoters, even when boxers are boxing, and there are an important number of problems that should be confronted and resolved with the participation of all promoters in the world in an amicable environment that I am sure can be obtained.
“Therefore, I am extending an invitation to all promoters of the world to participate in a summit that the WBC will organize during the first quarter of the year 2009 in a central city of the United States. We expect their full acceptance for the good of boxing and for the good of themselves.
“We must also take into strong consideration that our sport is going through a period of transition, when we are seeing our heroes of the last decade in the process of retiring or already retired from boxing, with many engaging in stupid, senseless matches. Boxing can only be interesting as an industry if there are idols competing in the ring that create the idolatry that is necessary to make professional boxing a success with a title of the world that is the dream of the boxers. No boxer dreams of the televison and the money in the beginning – they will dream to win an Olympic gold medal or a world championship.
“It is the obligation of the WBC to promote any event in the world that could lead us to the creation of new idols or heroes of our sport that can only be done by starting amateur boxing in organizing the WBC Golden Fists Tournament, so that all promoters and trainers in professional boxing can organize the amateur tournaments with independent boxers who belong to professional trainers, as it had been done in the past with the Golden Gloves to find new heroes and bring a new era of success in our sport.
“It is well-known that the big TV corporations come into boxing looking for the top of the cream only, as they pay no attention to the basics and and care less to give any step into the support of newcomers. Therefore, it is us, the WBC, who must keep boxing alive by planting and watering the seeds to lead us to find and develop new stars as we have done in our 46 years of existence.
“Therefore, I will also be recommending at this convention that the WBC plans well-structured county, state and national tournements for four and six-round boxers. A TV corporation, Mulitvision in Mexico, under the WBC’s original idea, has been doing it for 13 consecutive years and from those tournaments, most of the great Mexican boxers have come.
“Boxing has gained much confusion and discredit with so many champions of boxing organizations, and others which are only belt-merchants, that it is making our sport so confusing that it could soon become the laughing stock of the world. I will be presenting, at this convention, that the WBC promotes a universal champion by calling all the organizations that have any respectability and have all our champions meet each other to get only one – the universal champion. Every organization can keep theirs as their world champion. I believe that this could be a tremendous advancement for TV, for promoters, and for the boxers but leave, at the same time, the authority to the boxing organizations to control their business.
“With the safety of boxing being the backbone of the WBC, we believe that there are still an important number of problems to be resolved, the most important being the lack of communications between boxing commissions with a legal document that could help stop boxing mismatches, not accepting the participation of boxers who have been suspended who do not belong to the same ability, the creation of a mandatory universal license without which no boxer would be allowed to fight in another country.
“After my so many years in the sport of boxing, I am convinced that an important percentage of people in our sport do not have the sufficient capacity in different areas to be really in a top position to fill the delicate responsibilities that our sport demands, due to the fact that there are no basic guidelines nor a thorough and consistent education and training in every aspect of boxing.
“I will recommend the foundation of a virtual world school of boxing, using the science of computers as of today. We will have instruction for doctors, nutritionists, conditioners, trainers, seconds in corners during fights, optimal use of gymnasium equipment, and any other important activity that might be necessary, and it will be put in the hands of the most prestigious professionals of each activity. No physical school has the money to do this job. We can only do it through the system of the modern science of computing.
“As my final recommendation, I will present to the general assembly the great difficulty that the WBC is having to cope with the annual payments to Graciano Rocchigiani. Now, more than ever, due to the world’s financial crisis, it has made the shortage of money a real drama for the WBC. There is no cash available in the banks and our income has been dramatically impacted by some promoters evading a complete payment of sanction fees. They do not understand that we have 164 nations, that we have many departments, that we have many people in the world doing the job so that boxers and promoters make money while we try to keep the safety of the boxers and rule and order in the sport that we love.
“I am just unable to take my mind off the great injustice done by justice itself in the hands of a biased judge who took New York as the jurisdiction of a case of a fight promoted in Germany, by a German promoter, with a German boxer in a fight exclusively approved as an interim championship at the request of an affilliated federation, the EBU. We couldn’t appoint him as a champion, because Roy Jones Jr. was the champion of the WBC. But I, as president, was treated with hate, was treated with discrimination like the judge believed that I was a giant that he should pull down with the authority of his mask of justice.
“I believe that this was a plot against the WBC. If not so, how can we explain that Rocchigiani, who lives more in jail than free, was at the time imprisoned in a high-security jail but still got a freedom permit to leave prison for three weeks, to leave Germany and travel to another country, who received also from the German federal government a passport to travel out of Germany, and what is even worse, receive from the United States the entering visa at the time when the United States was exactly one year after the terrorist attacks on the New York Twin Towers? And to crown everything, with the judge forcing the end of the trial exactly three weeks after it started, that was the time when Rocchigiani should return to Germany. If this is not a plot, I would like you to explain to me what is was. In Mexico and many countries, no prisoner is allowed to leave jail even to go to their mother’s funeral, but in this case, a prisoner in a high-security jail was allowed to leave the country and go to another.
“As at this convention, we reach the end of the present term, I believe to be mandatory a thorough study of this situation for taking a solution to solve this enormous problem as seeing so many WBC people working so hard to pay this man in jail. I fell that we are doing so much work without anyone receiving any compensation, only for the service of a prisoner.
“I have mentioned my most important recommendations, but there are many others with which we have to contend every day of our lives, like trying to have the TV networks see us as friends.
“We must bring, at the end, many more efforts in our WBC Cares program, so brilliantly led by Jill Diamond, especially when we have seen so may tears coming from the eyes of our champions who go to the hospitals and see the broad devastation and the tears of the children.
“After going five years as the secretary general of the WBC and 33 more as president, I have found that boxing is, without a question, a constantly erupting volcano and one that makes us go to sleep one night relaxed and happy for having finished a problem successfully, to wake up the following morning and find the beginning of an even bigger one. But if I would have chosen at the very beginning of my presidency to continue with the traditional responsibility of exclusively rating boxers and supervising title fights, disregarding the many needs of our sport, perhaps my well-being would have been much less controversial. Life would have been much easier for me, distancing myself away from criticism without any change and reform. And, as I have said before, it also would have been a lost vessel on the sea, with no destination and only at the mercy of the waves and the wind.
“It would have meant to give away our principles, our objectives, our goals, and it would have been a betrayal of the confidence of those friends, like you,who have elected me in the past. Loyalty to principles, to people and institutions is the most sacred virtue of people and society that prides itself on culture, and the participation in the objectives of our institution is an obligation that accepts no compromise.
“We cannot belong to the WBC only in body but not in heart. ‘To be or not to be, that is the question,’ said Shakespeare, and I find the only way of success for the accomplishment of our highest goals to be the absolute unity, not only a few, but all of us to hold the torch to enlighten our path and carry it with courage, determination, perserverance, and a purpose for a just cause.
“At this end of my present term and my 33 years as president, I sincerely hope that most, if not all, have followed what I mentioned before, and I would like to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of the pillars of the WBC, the Board of Governors, the chairmen and members of all the WBC committees, and all those of you who are members of the WBC with your heart and dedication.
“To the Asian Boxing Council, its president, my dearest friend and great leader General Kovid Bhakdibhumi, to my brother Edward Thangarajah, as well as our new great friend Patrick Cusick, goes my appreciation for their great work.
“To the African Boxing Union, it president Houcine Houchi, its secretary general Celestino Mindra and vice-presidents Prince Adeboye and Peter Ngatane, all my dearest friends, my personal pride for having fought together agianst the despicable practice of apartheid.
“To the British Boxing Board of Control and its rising star and my dearest friend Charlie Giles, as well as Mr. Williamson, goes my my admiration and respect.
“To the Caribbean Boxing Federation and its leader and outstanding WBC loyal, Roy Van Putten, and his team, my deepest appreciation.
“To the CISSB and Edmund Lipinsky, the master of boxing, and the loyal Mr. Popovic, my friend the poet Vladimir Masalov, who made a poem for me, my pride for their joining the WBC at the time when the Soviet Union was disappearing and they found the door to the WBC open to enter.
“To my esteemed Central American Federation, it’s president Chepito Mayorga, my dearest great friend Dr. Sequeira, my eternal recognition for having been the first organization ever to think of me as president of the WBC back in 1975.
“To the founder of the WBC and prestigious leader of boxing, the European Boxing Union, its president and my dear friend Bob Logist, our queen Enza Jacoponi, to the eternal boxing leader Peter Stucki, to my dear friend from Spain, my third home, Antonio Martin Galan, to Willibald Pallatin, goes my gratitude because in that continent I have spent some of the best years of my life.
“To my home and dear North American Boxing Federation, its dynamic president and leader Rex Walker, its vice-president and a real asset of the WBC, Joe Dwyer, goes my deepest respect and admiration for their great work and efforts in a difficult boxing area, and my friend Avel Gonzalez, who is always with me, goes my appreciation.
“To the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation and it president and one of the greatest boxing men that my eyes have seen, Frank Quill, its vice-president and an example of positive leadership, the host of last year’s great convention, Eric Buhain, Mr. Boxing, and what else can I say of Major Lee, and to Mr. Yasukoshi coming as the newest great commissioner, my deepest gratitude.
“And to the tenth, South American Boxing Federation, the leader of Latin America and its president, my friend Osvaldo Bisbal, the close friend and a gentleman, Don Carlos Rodriguez, and Daniel Fucs, my deepest appreciation for having been with me at all times.
“I have mentioned the 10 confederations who form the WBC and without which the WBC would not exist, nor would it have reached the highest levels of credibility, respect, recognition and accomplishments in the whole history of boxing. All of you are my bosses – my deepest gratitude for your trust.
“It would not be fair if I do not express my deepest gratitude, my heart, in the mentioning of those who every day of my life live with me to resolve many of the problems of the WBC. My dearest friend and treasurer, Juan Sanchez; our dynamic, responsible and trustworthy secretary general, Gaby Penagaricano; our excellent legal counsel Robert Lenhardt; to the Medical Board, my dear friend Dr. Paul Wallace; obviously my secretary Teresa Flores; Victor Cota, Federico Enriquez, and all the tireless team at the executive offices, for whom I just cannot find the words to express that without them, I just could not be myself.
“There are many others that I do not mention, but who by listening to my words know what I have in my heart of appreciation and affection for what they have done for me. There are so many others that it is impossible to mention.
“I have left for the end a person who is devoting his life to be close to his father and who has such a fantastic, tireless devotion that I just do not know how I could perform the responsibilities of my presidency without him – my son Mauricio, to whom I send my profound love.
“I believe that I have gone through most of my present concerns in gratitude, and there are many people here, and I hope to be apologetic if I don’t mention them.
“When I was very young, I went to Africa to a fight in 1974. It was George Foreman versus Muhammad Ali. I went to see who they called a new rising star as a promoter, Don King. I was secretary general at the time and he told me, ‘I do not talk to secretary generals. I talk to the president.’ But after that, he and I have been the closest of friends. He has been hurt by my mentioning my support for him, and I have been hurt by them saying that I only support Don King. But regardless of that, I think that we have lived our lives and I believe that Don King has become one of the greatest, if not the greatest, promoters of all time. He and I have fought many times, but in the end he says, ‘Well, Jose is Jose, and we have to continue and go on.’
” I sincerely hope that with this convention the WBC will bring a great boxing era to this great country of the People’s Republic of China, and I treasure from the deepest of my heart the opportunity that it gives me to see all the faces of all of you, my dear friends, coming from all over the world. I have always felt and thought that the boxing family are the best people of the world and I confirm it today.
“My heart goes to you with my deepest gratitude for all that you have done through the years to support me as president of your World Boxing Council. May God bless all of you and thank you very much.”
Tags: Chengdu > Don King > Giant Panda > Jinjiang Hotel > Jose Sulaiman > People's Republic of China > World Boxing Council