A message to WBC President Jose Sulaiman is to do the right thing this week and give Bernard Hopkins his justice. Reverse the WBC light heavyweight title decision granted to Chad Dawson and declare the bout a no-contest. Or declare that there should be a mandatory return bout, assuming Hopkins has recuperated from an injured left shoulder.
As of Monday, Hopkins said he will not retire. The World Boxing Council released a statement after Hopkins? promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, filed a protest over the ruling of a technical knockout. And we are all aware that Hopkins was not a TKO victim which was obvious after reviewing the tape numerous times.
So with this message, from the office of Sulaiman, we can expect some justice because the world of boxing deserves a correct response after the embarrassment and events of this past Saturday. ?A boxing commission can make independent decisions regarding results, but the World Boxing Council, exclusive and worldwide registered owner of its trademark WBC, must take charge of the world title results that only correspond to the organization,? said Sulaiman.
That may not sound like an affirmative decision, but one that is optimistic that the WBC will grant justice to Hopkins. It also says that Golden Boy, with leverage, has more of a say in the matter than Gary Shaw the promoter of Dawson. And it does matter that the WBC heard the messages of boxing fans, social media as a contributor, that Dawson won a title the wrong way.
Sulaiman, who is widely attacked for decision making, wants to make this right. Media outrage is the last thing that the WBC does not tolerate, as known when they stripped Timothy Bradley of his title a few months ago.
In the meantime Shaw and the Dawson camp have said they will not grant Hopkins a return opportunity. And that was affirmed earlier on Monday when Dawson said, ?I am the champion and Bernard does not get the rematch.? And that was affirmed after the fight Saturday as the California State Athletic Commission knew that Golden Boy would go ahead and file their appeal.
Sulaiman is also aware that there are bylaws that the WBC must adhere to. And though he could not be reached for direct comment, this also becomes a different matter from the Bradley situation or any previous and unfavorable ruling in his reign as head of the Mexico City based sanctioning body of the sport. It is not a Pandora?s Box. This is a crucial decision and one the boxing community anticipates, with knowledge that Dawson did not win a major title the proper way. A referee under the auspices of the WBC was the decision maker, protected also by the California commission that quickly escorted him away from the embarrassment and humiliation.
A boxing historian can recall an almost similar event. Though a referee in the September 24, 1922 light heavyweight bout, between Battling Siki and the champion Georges Carpentier disqualified Siki for what he said was, ?tripping and throwing.? Then there were no sanctioning organizations, and of course boxing depended on ringside officials to make a final determination.
Complicating the issue is a recent IBF decision mandating that Pablo Hernandez and Steve Cunningham meet again for the cruiserweight title based on the controversial conclusion to their championship fight on October 1st though the specifics for the rematch are different. Cunningham challenged the sixth round stoppage due to cuts sustained by Hernandez. This does say something though about sanctioning organizations and their effort to make things right for the sport.
Sulaiman further stated, ?We think by the end of this week, we will have the result of the world voting regarding this matter.? And he was not meaning the world, as in the World Boxing Council. It was the world that watched and a boxing community of fans that has had enough of the bogus outcomes that continue to plague the sport.
