Day two of the 28th annual WBO Convention kicked off this morning with the executive committee meeting at 9:00 AM to discuss the status of WBO junior featherweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux. The WBO issued an order to ?show cause? letter to Rigondeaux back on October 7th, demanding Rigondeaux show cause as to why he should not be stripped of his championship for failing to defend his title. After the members of the grievance committee left the session to avoid a conflict (they would be the members who would review Rigondeaux?s grievance if he were to be stripped of the title and challenge the decision). Rigondeaux filed a response through an individual named Jared Lopez and his promoter, Caribe Promotions, citing two arguments as to why he should not be stripped of the belt. Citing WBO rules, section 1 (b) (20) and (5) of the WBO rules, Rigondeaux?s team argued that he ?sought to remain active in compliance with WBO Rules but there is a lack of appropriate opponents available and wiling to fight.? Rigondeaux also argued that ?it would be an excuse of discretion to vacate because Mr. Rigondeaux has never failed to defend against the mandatory challenger.? Rigondeaux also communicated his ?inability? to land a unification fight with the WBC and IBF champions as well as being unsuccessful in getting the WBA to order a mandatory defense against Scott Quigg.
However, the WBO championship committee expressed reservations about Rigondeaux?s response. With only three defenses in 31 months and none in the last ten months, the WBO championship committee chairman Luis Batista Salas said that the WBO has given Rigondeaux ample opportunity to make a title defense.
?This is a private problem between the promoter,? Salas said. ?We cannot put a world championship in the freezer.?
Salas stated that the WBO junior featherweight was ?totally stagnant? as a result of the layoff, and noted that the WBO was willing to allow Rigondeaux the opportunity to defend his title against fighter ranked in the top fifteen. Salas prepared a resolution calling for the WBO junior featherweight championship to be declared vacant and for Rigondeaux to no longer be recognized as WBO champion. After the members of the championship committee took a short recess to discuss the proposed resolution, they voted unanimously to send it to the executive committee. The executive committee voted unanimously to adopt the resolution, thus stripping Rigondeaux of his title.
?If you hire a lawyer and your lawyer makes a mistake it becomes your mistake,? President Valcarcel said in Spanish of Rigondeaux?s inability to land an opponent. ?If you get a promoter and the promoter can?t get you a fight it becomes your problem.?
Valcarcel also said that Rigondeaux had the option to fight any of the top 15 ranked WBO junior featherweights and even had the option to petition the WBO to sanction a fight against a fighter not ranked in the top fifteen if he couldn?t land a ranked opponent, an option that Rigondeaux?s team did not elect to take.
From there the WBO executive committee opened discussion on the situation in the Dominican Republic with the boxing commission. Several WBO members communicated disturbing stories of a boxing scene in the Dominican Republic that has seen numerous questionable fights taking place. As a result the confirmation of records from the Dominican Republic has becomes extremely difficult.
?The problem we are encountering with records from Dominican Republic are we are seeing fighters from Puerto Rico who fight twice in one weekend when they go to Dominican Republic.? Dr. Ramon Pina said of the lax enforcement of standards emerging in the Dominican Republic.
The WBO elected to have the esteemed Dr. Pina personally verify and certify all records from the Dominican Republic to ensure that the records presented to the WBO were legitimate. The motion passed with no opposition from the board.
From there the discussion went to the location of the 2016 convention. WBO member Gino Rodriguez proposed Puerto Rico, with no other proposal offered. The executive committee voted unanimously to have the 2016 convention in Puerto Rico.
While the WBO executive committee was working on the issues of the Dominican Republic boxing commission and the status of the junior featherweight title, the WBO boxing judges met in a separate room for their official training seminars. The referee?s training seminars were held in the afternoon. The extensive referee?s seminar, conducted by a handful of the most widely respected referees in the sport, covered new developments in the sport of boxing such as instant replay. The seminar also prepared the referee?s for the ?unexpected? such as double knockdowns, fighters getting knocked out of the ring, and the importance of safety in the ring. The emphasis on safety was stressed throughout the seminar, with important lessons such as severe injuries in the ring as well.
