By Mauricio Sulaiman: The way boxing operates is so vastly different from any other sport. Boxing is regulated by government institutions of each country, in most cases, each state of the country and even to the extent of having regulations by each city of each state of each country. This must be due to the nature of the sport, a contact sport, which in the early years was brutal and inhuman, there were many deaths every year in the sport, abuse of power, anarchy and total control by a few who acted as promoters and regulators.
The WBC, as a governing body sanctioning fights all over the world, works each event in conjunction with the local boxing commission whenever a WBC title is contested. The WBC respects the local commission’s authority and jurisdiction, and always tries its best to have as much mutual reciprocity and respect as possible, and mutual agreements.
Boxing began to be regulated and rules and procedures started to be in place to put order to the sport. That is how local boxing commissions were created. The rules in place in a boxing match are simple and there are not many, but they have become extremely loose and there is tremendous lack of knowledge today of what those rules mean and why they were implemented.
I have an example which thrills me and at the same time worries me, as one day it will certainly create a huge controversy: The general rule reads that a fight is official when 4 rounds are completed. This means that if a fight is stopped due to an accidental foul the result would be as follows: A no contest or technical draw if the fight is stopped before the end of 4 rounds, and a technical decision going to the scorecards if it is after the beginning of the 5th round.
The WBC rules are clear stating that the 5th round begins with the sound of the bell to start the round. Most, if not all commissions in the United States and a few other countries, state that the 5th round begins when the bell rings to end the 4th round.
What is the definition of a round? THREE MINUTES OF ACTION WITH ONE MINUTE RESTING PERIOD. The only round that does not have a resting minute is the 12th, as it is the end of the fight.
The minute between the bell ending the 4th and the bell beginning the 5th belongs to the 4th round! As simple as that. There are many examples in which doctors and referees have stopped fights during the resting period, as it is then when the evaluation takes place .
It is my belief, and I might be wrong, that the U.S. changed the rule to protect any potential problems with gambling, as there are bets on rounds. So the easy solution is to record the result at the ring of the bell ending the round, but that is absolutely unfair and incorrect.
The WBC will not give up on the subject, and will continue to make the point at rules meetings, at conventions, and at meetings with boxing federations and commissions.
The structure of having different rules, different medical requirements, and different procedures in a diversity of states and countries is a problem. It should be very easy to have uniformity and reciprocity, but reality is different.
Medicals should be the top priority to any boxing commission, federation and sanctioning organization, and especially to every single promoter. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The WBC has strict medical requirements that all WBC champions and anyone challenging for the WBC title must meet. This includes MRI, eye tests, bloodwork, physicals and others. Also, all fighters must submit official 30- and 7-day weigh-ins. Our chairman of the Safety Committee, William Boohoo, is regarded as “a pest” by some promoters, due to his constant communications in search of compliance of all these safety measures. Some commissions disregard the WBC’s requirements and limit to what their commission requires, but at the end our work towards safety has proven to be extremely important to keep the safety of the fighters and the risk at the lowest level.
Just in one month, two title fights of other organizations were cancelled. In Las Vegas, an Argentinian challenger was withdrawn at the weigh-in due to his blood examinations testing positive for hepatitis. This past weekend, Luca Giacon of Italy was not allowed to fight in Madrid as his eye examination and evaluation was rejected by the medical committee of the Spanish federation. Giacon was rejected two years ago in New York for the same reason. Had this tests been performed with the time that should apply, both situations would not have created such a tremendous problem for the promoters and boxing in general.
There are so many rules and procedures that have rejection from commissions simply because of the natural fear of change. Boxing deserves better, but it can only happen whenever all boxing jurisdictions accept to abide by one set of rules. The difference in boxing and all other sports is that the “leagues” – the NFL, MLB, FIFA, NBA, NHL, UFC, PGA , etc. – are all regulators and the owners of the promotion of the sport.
I am thrilled to be going to New York to be at the WBC doubleheader featuring Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, and the special event of Carlos Cuadras vs. David Carmona. Boxing is having a great year, and I am certain that this event will continue this historic trend!
Thank you, and I welcome any comments, ideas, or suggestions at contact@wbcboxing.com.