[kenyan_cheena]

THE INTERNATIONAL BOXING LEAGUE

Thursday 4 April 2002

Las Vegas businessman James Molk dropped a bomb on the boxing public this afternoon when he announced the formation of a new boxing organisation, the International Boxing League, at a press conference held at his MGM Grand Casino. The announcement came at 2pm Vegas time (5pm on the east coast), just an hour after the completion of the HBF's African Boxing League fight card in Johannesburg, South Africa.

James Molk is the son of the late Kelvin Molk, founder and, until the time of his death, the sole owner of the Los Angeles Dragons baseball club. The younger Molk has carved out a business empire that, at the very least, rivals the accomplishments of his father. The gathered media were expecting the topic of this afternoon's conference to be the recent purchase by Molk of the Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino, but it wasn't long before it was obvious that Molk had something completely different to reveal.

He greeted his audience before launching into his announcement.

"As you would all know, my father made his name as owner of the Los Angeles Dragons baseball club," he said. "It's true, he was successful in other business ventures, both before and after the Dragons came into being. But his greatest success was always in baseball. Being his son, I grew up with the expectation of success. It was something that I put upon my own shoulders, a determination to strive for the same heights that Kelvin Molk reached during his life. I feel that, to date, I've more than lived up to those expectations."

Molk paused briefly.

"I've made my fortune through real estate and casinos," Molk continued. "I did it all without the assistance of my father, even without the goodwill that his name would provide because, as is well known, I went by my mother's maiden name until the time of my 35th birthday, when I revealed the truth of my heritage. By that time, I had already established the business interests that I continue to oversee. But, like my father, I've always been a keen sports fan. For the past few years, the desire to become involved with a sporting competition in an administrative, financial capacity has grown in my heart."

By now, audible murmurs were passing throughout the audience, as they wondered where Molk was going with this. Conscious of their curiosity, Molk paused momentarily to let their chatter die down.

"During the past six months, the Heavyweight Boxing Federation has captured the imagination of the sporting public in a way rarely seen since, well, since the early years of Major League Baseball."

The moment Molk mentioned the HBF, the chatter level picked up again. Journalist's fingers started poking at the buttons on their cell phones.

"I've been swept up in the excitement of it as much as the next person," Molk said. "But I couldn't help but think how much more successful the HBF would have been if it had included the other, lower weight divisions. This has bothered me from the moment HBF President Michael Vincennes made his first speech back in September. Excluding them has, in turn, excluded many talented, skilled boxers who could be competing professionally as we speak."

Molk fell silent for a time. He gazed at a number of journalists. Despite the fact that most of them were more concerned with matters of business and finance than sport, they appeared to be hanging on his every word. Molk smiled.

"Now, it was a well-documented incident that was revealed by the New York Age's James Reynolds back on the 13th of February," he continued. "That incident was a meeting between Vincennes and a group of unnamed businessmen, a meeting where the expansion of the sport of boxing was discussed. Since then, there's been a lot of speculation over who these "unnamed businessmen" were. There's been comments by Olympic champions Ray Leonard and Michael Spinks, both of whom were contacted by these businessmen. There's been a lot of debate over the truth of these meetings. Well, I'm here today to tell you that they happened, because I attended each one of them. I was one of the "unnamed businessmen" who met with President Vincennes, who met with Ray Leonard and Michael Spinks, and who met again with Michael Vincennes this past Friday in Manhattan."

At this, the room errupted, newspaper scribes and television reporters all trying to speak at once, microphones and tape recorders and cell phones all thrusting forward. Molk motioned for silence, and when things had quieted down, he continued speaking.

"Today, I am proud to announce the formation of a new boxing organisation, an organisation that will cater to the lower weight divisions that the Heavyweight Boxing Federation has seen fit to ignore and thumb their noses at. This organisation, of which I will be one of four Chief Directors, will be known as the International Boxing League. At first, the IBL will include the following weight divisions: Light-Heavyweight, where the maximum weight will be 175 pounds; Middleweights, with a maximum weight of 160 pounds; Welterweight, 147 pounds; Lightweight, 135 pounds, and Featherweight, with a maximum weight of 126 pounds and a minimum of 119."

(to be continued)