It all started when the WBC created the “Diamond Belt” for the upcoming Pacquiao – Cotto fight and I’m still not 100% certain the reason behind the belt. Is it for catch weight fights? Super fights? Or super fighters? Do we honestly need a belt to tell us who a great fighter is? The WBC fails to recognize it’s the fighter who makes the belt, not the belt that makes the fighter. Manny and Miguel could fight for a belt bought at Macy’s and the people would still be just as crazy about this fight. Sure, the belt is pretty to look at and is full of jewels but the last time I checked boxing is about respect not diamonds. It’s bad enough the sport is littered with bogus after bogus title(s) and now we have to deal with this? Can you even defend it or is more of a keepsake for winning a “big” fight. I don’t need a diamond belt to get excited for Cotto and Pacquiao, and those two fighters sure don’t need it to remember who won the fight. In the end all we hope for is a great fight; nothing more, nothing less.
But just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did, as the WBC went on a tear this week. It started with a six month ban on heavyweight contender Chris Arreola for cussing while being interviewed after his fight with Vitali Klitschko. The man’s dreams had just been shattered, a goal he had waited for his entire life and he came up short… Once the fight was stopped Arreola broke out into tears and dropped the F bomb a few times while being interviewed, what’s the big deal? A fighter shows real emotion so ban him for six months? Do you want men or robots in the ring? Fighters are real people with real emotions. Do you honestly believe that the people who watch boxing have never heard the F word before? Does the WBC ever listen to what comes out of the mouths of many trainers in between rounds? Let fighters fight and let them speak their minds. It’s one thing if a fighter comes up with a dirty urine test or illegal hand wraps, but when the worst thing a guy does is cuss a few times I think we should be able to let that go.
I’m not done yet.
Reportedly, the WBC is now demanding public apologies from fighters.
The organization is putting a halt to a unification bout between WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto and WBA champion Shane Mosley. Why, you may ask? Because Shane Mosley vacated his interim WBC welterweight title when he signed on to face Antonio Margarito for his WBA title. The WBC finds that to be a slap in the face and now wants Mosley to publicly apologize for having taken the fight against Margarito. You have got to be kidding me with this! If I were Shane Mosley I would tell the WBC to kiss my ass and move on. To demand a public apology is crossing the line in my mind. Let Berto and Mosley fight, what does the WBC care? Either way they get their sanction fee.
And last but not least, the WBC wants to put a ban on fathers working the corner of their sons. **Again I ask, is this for real? The WBC’s reasoning behind this is a study that showed that a father working his son’s corner could prove fatal. Fatal? This is boxing, every punch thrown could prove fatal! Maybe a father has a hard time throwing the towel when it’s his son in the ring, but how many times have we seen a trainer, any trainer, have a hard time throwing in the towel? What is the difference between having an uncle, cousin, or friend working a fighter’s corner? Has it been proven to be less fatal?
We need to remember that fighters are warriors and they willingly put their lives on the line every time they step into the ring. No one hopes for serious injuries to occur but sadly they do. I’m all for protecting fighters, but I’m also for letting fighters fight. I have no problem with someone showing emotion because it proves to me that they are more than just fighters, they are people like me and you. If a fighter wants to vacate a title and fight for another title, then so be it. Remember there was a time when we only had once champion at each weight class, not 50. And since the beginning of boxing fathers have been teaching their sons how to fight and now the WBC wants to put a stop to it?
I think the WBC needs a reality check.
