IBF NAMES OFFICIALS FOR CONDES TITLE DEFENSE

The International Boxing Federation has named the officials for the minimum weight title defense of hard-hitting southpaw Florante Condes against mandatory challenger Raul ?Rayito? Garcia on June 14 in the baseball stadium in La Paz, Mexico.

IBF executive Lindsey Tucker informed Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that the referee will be Wayne Hedgepeth while the judges are Alejandro Lopez of Mexico, Abraham Pacheco of Hawaii and Adelaide Byrd of Nevada.

Two of the judges have come under criticism in the past but the IBF is confident of their abilities.

Brian Viloria?s adviser Gary Gittelsohn was furious at the Hawaii Boxing Commission for continuing to back Pacheco and alleged that Pacheco grossly mishandled Brian Viloria?s TKO victory over Valentin Leon in April 2003.

Jerry Campany of the Honolulu Star Bulletin said while Pacheco defended the job he did as referee, the Commission cautioned him ?about his use of ambiguous hand signals? which happened in the Viloria fight.

Byrd was criticized for her scorecard in the Mike Amaoutis-Ricardo Torres battle for the vacant WBO 140 pound title on the Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales third fight in 2006.

MaxBoxing said Byrd scored it an ?absolutely ridiculous 116-112? for Torres who won the title on a split decision after Harry Davis scored it 114-113 while Jerry Roth had the Greek southpaw Amaoutis the winner, 114-113.

Although the New Jersey Control Board came under fire for appointing the comparatively inexperience referee Hedgpeth who is from New Jersey to handle the Carlos Baldomir- Arturo Gatti IBF welterweight title fight in July 26 which Baldomir won by a ninth round TKO, referee Hedgpeth did a good job.

There were also no complaints about the performance of Mexico?s Lopez who was one of the judges in the IBF cruiser weight title fight in which Steve Cunningham beat Poland?s Krzysztof Wlodarczylc in May last year.

Condes who is making his first title defense is aware of the tendency for hometown decisions in Mexico but indicated he planned to avoid the possibility by knocking out the challenger.