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kenyan_cheena · 02-10-2006, 01:51 AM

(Note: Follows on from post #434 of HBF thread)

IBL TO ACCOMODATE
"120 FIGHTERS PER DIVISION"

Wednesday 10 April 2002

International Boxing League Chief Director James Molk today fleshed out the details in regards to the "separate fight cards" he spoke of on Monday.

During that press conference, Molk mentioned that in addition to their World Championship tournaments, the league would be holding separate cards for fighters who "are not yet at the level required to compete for the World Championship." He did not elaborate too much on this at the time, but he did today.

"It's pretty simple," Molk said, during this evening's special interview with Bryant Gumbel on HBO's Real Sports. "The IBL has an ambitious vision for the future of boxing. We've never disguised this fact. For that vision to come to fruition, we need to establish a large stable of fighters in each division, and quickly. These separate events I spoke of on Monday will be referred to as "Future Contenders" fight cards. For each division, we will select 48 boxers who, though currently not at the talent level of those who'll compete for the World Championship, we believe have great potential to one day become World-ranked contenders. It's safe for you to make the assumption that the majority of these "Future Contenders" will be young, in most cases no older than 20."

Gumbel asked about the structure of the "Future Contenders" group.

"Well, much like the World Championship regional qualifiers, the 48 fighters will be divided into groups of twelve. However, this division won't be based on regions, like in the World Championship tournament. The twelve in each group will fight each other once, for a total of eleven six round bouts. The results and placings they achieve in their group after these bouts will determine whether they compete in subsequent regional championship tournaments or be placed in what, at the moment, we are calling a development league. These Future Contenders fight cards will be held all over the world, which will not only give these youngsters an opportunity to see places they've never dreamed of, but it will also give boxing fans a chance to see first hand the future Champions of this sport. So, once all these tournaments are complete, each of the five weight divisions of the International Boxing League will feature 120 fighters."

Gumbel made the point that many of the fighters selected for the World Championship qualifiers will be young, also.

"What will distinguish these two groups from each other?" Gumbel asked.

"Talent and potential," replied Molk. "We'll be looking at all these fighters during the same timeframe, Bryant. During our selection trials, we'll make the distinction between who is World Championship material and who might not be now, but could be in the future. The IBL is staffed by the most knowledgeable team of boxing scouts available, a team that is far superior to that of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation, so I wouldn't worry about any problems coming from it."

Gumbel closed the interview by asking Molk what he thought of the comments HBF President Michael Vincennes made yesterday, especially the section of his speech when he referred to Molk as a "fool".

"I'm not going to justify name calling with a response," replied Molk. "But one thing you should do is bottle those comments. Save them somewhere safe and take them out again in a few years from now. It could make for interesting viewing."

02-10-2006, 01:51 AM	#17 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,434	*(Note: Follows on from post #434 of HBF thread)* IBL TO ACCOMODATE "120 FIGHTERS PER DIVISION" Wednesday 10 April 2002 International Boxing League Chief Director James Molk today fleshed out the details in regards to the "separate fight cards" he spoke of on Monday. During that press conference, Molk mentioned that in addition to their World Championship tournaments, the league would be holding separate cards for fighters who "are not yet at the level required to compete for the World Championship." He did not elaborate too much on this at the time, but he did today. "It's pretty simple," Molk said, during this evening's special interview with Bryant Gumbel on HBO's Real Sports. "The IBL has an ambitious vision for the future of boxing. We've never disguised this fact. For that vision to come to fruition, we need to establish a large stable of fighters in each division, and quickly. These separate events I spoke of on Monday will be referred to as "Future Contenders" fight cards. For each division, we will select 48 boxers who, though currently not at the talent level of those who'll compete for the World Championship, we believe have great potential to one day become World-ranked contenders. It's safe for you to make the assumption that the majority of these "Future Contenders" will be young, in most cases no older than 20." Gumbel asked about the structure of the "Future Contenders" group. "Well, much like the World Championship regional qualifiers, the 48 fighters will be divided into groups of twelve. However, this division won't be based on regions, like in the World Championship tournament. The twelve in each group will fight each other once, for a total of eleven six round bouts. The results and placings they achieve in their group after these bouts will determine whether they compete in subsequent regional championship tournaments or be placed in what, at the moment, we are calling a development league. These Future Contenders fight cards will be held all over the world, which will not only give these youngsters an opportunity to see places they've never dreamed of, but it will also give boxing fans a chance to see first hand the future Champions of this sport. So, once all these tournaments are complete, each of the five weight divisions of the International Boxing League will feature 120 fighters." Gumbel made the point that many of the fighters selected for the World Championship qualifiers will be young, also. "What will distinguish these two groups from each other?" Gumbel asked. "Talent and potential," replied Molk. "We'll be looking at all these fighters during the same timeframe, Bryant. During our selection trials, we'll make the distinction between who is World Championship material and who might not be now, but could be in the future. The IBL is staffed by the most knowledgeable team of boxing scouts available, a team that is far superior to that of the Heavyweight Boxing Federation, so I wouldn't worry about any problems coming from it." Gumbel closed the interview by asking Molk what he thought of the comments HBF President Michael Vincennes made yesterday, especially the section of his speech when he referred to Molk as a "fool". "I'm not going to justify name calling with a response," replied Molk. "But one thing you should do is bottle those comments. Save them somewhere safe and take them out again in a few years from now. It could make for interesting viewing." __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League The International Boxing League: Tournament Group Standings MLB: 1958 and Beyond... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 10-13-2008 at 03:59 PM.