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 News from Around Banderas Bay | June 2005 
Vallarta Convention Signals Banner Year for IBF!
 FightNews.com
Puerto Vallarta proved to be the perfect locale for the IBF/USBA's 22nd Annual Convention, which concluded after Saturday's Unfinished Business session before its board of directors. The convention, which took place inside the beautiful seaside CasaMagna Resort, was the perfect place for the IBF to conduct business, for boxing insiders to mingle with one another, and for officials to work collectively in sharing information about the dos and don'ts of the sport and how to make it safer.
Those in attendance included representatives from the top promoters in boxing such as Bobby Goodman and Al Bonnani of Don King Productions, Murad Muhammad of M&M Sports, Joshua J. Roy of Banner Promotions, Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, Ray Wheatley of Australia, Jimmy Chaichotchuang of Kiat Kreerin Promotion in Thailand, Benedetto Montella of Italy, Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions, Ricardo Rizzo of Warriors Boxing, Chicago attorney John Hornewer, Yuriy Ruban of Union Boxing Promotion in Ukraine, and Rhonda Utley-Herring and Roxanne McElroy-White of Roxolid Promotions, among others.
IBF World Champions in attendance included the Marquez brothers, Juan Manuel and Rafael, Undisputed Welterweight Champion Zab "Super" Judah and Junior Flyweight Champion Will Grigsby. On Wednesday, during the Meet the Champion's Social in the hotel's patio, all champions posed proudly for the media and conversed with those in attendance.
Also during the busy week, the agenda included a daily general session where the topics ranged from discussions about the current status of the federal government's intervention in boxing, with the projected creation of the United States Boxing Commission (USBC); reports from the IBF board of directors and a report from Noah Rendeau and Tim Schellberg of the Washington lobbying firm Smith Alling Lane, which brought the IBF membership up to date in regards to Senator John McCain's proposed bill.
During the panel discussions IBF President Marian Muhammad urged those in attendance to speak out about the proposed formation of the USBC, which is being spearheaded by Senator McCain to take over the sport. "The commissions are finding out that what they've asked for might come back to bite them in the behind," she said, referring to the USBC. "They will surely find out that eventually the USBC will feel there is no need for the commissions. They will be defunct and the USBC will call the shots. The commissions are actually ridding themselves of themselves."
Seminars took place on Thursday with an excellent, no nonsense medical seminar conducted by the widely known and respected Dr. William Lathan (NY); the officials seminar was conducted by Peter Trematerra (FL), who also had on hand knowledgeable information from Joe Pasquale (NJ), Steve Weisfeld (NJ) and Robert Hoyle (NV). Eddie Cotton (NJ), Tony Weeks (NV) and Wayne Kelley (NY) manned a noteworthy referees seminar.
Lead counsel Linda Torres detailed the status of a number of litigation matters involving the IBF, which included a settlement with middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, a pending lawsuit against Oscar de la Hoya for his bout against Hopkins in which he is accused of having withheld the true amount of his purse, and a lawsuit recently filed against the IBF by heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko. The IBF is also awaiting trademark approval of the IBF belt, and Torres stated that the process should go through smoothly.
Unfortunately, due to a delay in customs in allowing the IBF merchandise, literature and awards into Mexico, the Annual Banquet was not as lively as years past. Achievement awards, which were to be presented during the banquet, will now be shipped from the IBF's New Jersey headquarters as soon as this week. Undisputed Welterweight King Zab Judah, recipient of the Jersey Joe Walcott Award, was the only award winner who was fortunate to have the trophy presented to him during the dinner. Others not as fortunate included: Don King Productions (IBF Promoter of the Year), Gary Shaw Productions (USBA Promoter of the Year), Union Boxing Promotion (Intercontinental Promoter of the Year), Jimmy Boxing (PPBF Promoter of the Year) and Tony Caradonna (Australia Promoter of the Year); Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez (IBF Fight of the Year), Daniel Edouard and Willie Gibbs (USBA Fight of the Year), Gotthard Hinteregger and Jozsef Matolcsi (Intercontinental Fight of the Year), and Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym and Jackson Asiku (PPBF Fight of the Year); Kassim Ouma (IBF Most Improved Fighter), Felix Cora (USBA Most Improved Fighter), Alexei Trofimov (Intercontinental Most Improved Fighter), and Terapong Kaewnongsamed (PPBF Most Improved Fighter); Rafael Marquez (IBF Most Title Defenses), Felix Cora (USBA Most Title Defenses), Robert Steiglitz (Intercontinental Most Title Defenses) and Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym (PPBF Most Title Defenses).
Two new members to the board of directors were elected. IBF/USBA President Marian Muhammad (NJ) was reelected to the board, while former IBF/USBA interim President Hiawatha G. Knight (Detroit) and Valerie Dorsett (NC), were newly elected to 3-year terms.
Those who attended this year's IBF/USBA Convention were treated to wonderful tropical weather, with temperatures well above the eighties every day of the week. The beautiful CasaMagna Resort offered guests the option of lying by the pool or walking a few yards farther to the beautiful sandy beach. On Tuesday, the membership took part of an all-day excursion with stops in downtown Puerto Vallarta, its beautiful cathedral, and a tequila processing plant. A visit to the popular eatery Carlos N' Charlie's, located in the city's Malecón, culminated the excursion.
The site of next year's convention was not announced, but frontrunners include Memphis, TN, San Juan Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. |
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