THE LAST BURDEN BOXING NEEDS IS BEWILDERMENT, YET IBA ARE PROMOTING CONFUSION
The ill designed World Series of Boxing (WSB) the brainchild of International Boxing Association (IBA) formerly known as the Amateur International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) but with the AIBA logo still retained, has hardly started and there is already confusion over its World WSB.
With delusions of grandeur of competing with the football (soccer) World Cup, IBA is now promoting both professional and amateur boxing.
This would be a mammoth task for a well administrated organization like the professional World Boxing Council, where its members are cohesive and has a Government made-up of highly experienced boxing people from acroos the World.
For an amateur organization that has a major problem administrating amateur boxing due to serious conflict among its members, to want to compete with the likes of WBC President, Dr. Jose Sulaiman, promoters Don King, Bob Arum, Gary Shaw, Frank Warren and many others, would be akin to comparing Mike Tyson at his very best to a journeyman boxer - or just laughable.
In India boxers that decide to fight for the money in WSB will be ineligible to compete in the historical Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, World Championship or Commonwealth Games but, remarkably, they will still qualify for the Olympic Games.
How the International Olympic Committee has agreed to this confusing anomaly is astonishing.
THE FIRST BIG QUESTION:
DID IBA HAVE A MANDATE FROM RANK AND FILE AMATEUR BOXING PEOPLE BEFORE EMBARKING ON THIS MADCAP SCHEME?
THE SECOND BIG QUESTION:
WHAT HAPPENS IF PROFESSIONAL BOXING SANCTIONING ORGANIZATIONS AND WORLDWIDE COMMISSIONS DECIDE THEY WILL NEITHER RECOGNIZE NOR SANCTION WSB BOXERS, AS THEY WOULD BE FULLY ENTITLED TO DO?
Boxing Action has forecast that the wild idea of WSB will do nothing more than cause more confusion in boxing and be the beginning of bewilderment that could not be bettered by Dumb and Dumber or Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
Even IBA now describes itself as: International Boxing Federation (AIBA.)
Twelve cities, with sponsors, are said to have joined the franchise style WSB system but so far the only publicized sponsor is Videocon Industries Ltd., an Indian Company. The eleven other city members are promised to be announced this month and in August.
The WSB contests will be over a distance of 5 x 3 minute rounds, head guards and vests will not be worn.
The prize money for the Indian boxers will vary between just over US$6,400 to US$10,000. Why there is variance has not been explained.
Rest easy, ‘Money’ Mayweather you are in the best place. ~