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kenyan_cheena · 03-15-2006, 08:46 PM

THIRTEEN DAYS AND COUNTING

Tuesday 23 April 2002

Around the sporting world, excitement continues to build as the selection trials for the International Boxing League's regional World Championship qualifiers and "Future Contender" series draw near. With the first week of trials scheduled to start on Monday 6 May, the sport's popularity seems to know no limit.

The full schedule of trials for the first week (Monday 6 May - Sunday 12 May) is:

NORTH AMERICA - Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
SOUTH AMERICA - Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina
EUROPE - MEN Arena, Manchester, England
ASIA - Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan
AFRICA - Carnival City Big Top Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa

IBL Chief Director James Molk took time out from his busy schedule to discuss the looming selection trials.

"It's just tremendously exciting," said Molk. "There's been some talk in the past few days about the silence from myself and the IBL. There's a pretty simple explanation, which is that we've been working hard to make absolutely sure that these trials go off without a hitch. When I announced our formation, I said that the league would be the most professionally-run sporting organisation in the world and we plan to live up to those words. These trials will be the first contact that many people have with us and we want to leave a good first impression."

Molk will be part of the team attending the trials in Africa. Set to fly out to Johannesburg on Friday, his feelings of anticipation were clear to see as he spoke.

"I'm enthusiastic about the level of talent we'll discover, not just in Africa but all over the world. As everyone knows, the HBF's African Boxing League has been a great success and we believe that the IBL will succeed in making boxing even more popular in the region. The other trials are going to be really exciting, especially in Japan. They're boxing's biggest fans outside of America and to know that we'll be giving many Japanese fighters a chance to compete professionally is really satisfying."

Asked about last week's Sanchez-Saldivar controversy, Molk shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"I've never seen two men with such hatred for each other," he said. "We were going to sit down with both of them in the same room, but it was just too difficult. So we spoke to each of them separately and all I can do is warn everyone not to miss it when they clash in the ring. I've told them both that there will be consequences if anything approaching the nightclub incident is repeated. Whether they'll take that to heart or not, I can't say."

When questioned about his relationship with HBF President Michael Vincennes, Molk was quick to respond.

"Nothing has changed," he said. "I still have a lot of respect for the man. Some unfortunate things were said in the days after we revealed ourselves and I get the feeling that the public, and the media, would have been happy if it just kept on going, day after day. I'm happy it didn't and I'm sure that he is, too. He's obviously busy running his federation and I've been doing the same thing. We don't have to be friends, and, even though I believe the best thing for boxing would be for it to be governed by one organisation, I see no reason why we can't peacefully exist side-by-side."

03-15-2006, 08:46 PM	#29 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,268	THIRTEEN DAYS AND COUNTING Tuesday 23 April 2002 Around the sporting world, excitement continues to build as the selection trials for the International Boxing League's regional World Championship qualifiers and "Future Contender" series draw near. With the first week of trials scheduled to start on Monday 6 May, the sport's popularity seems to know no limit. The full schedule of trials for the first week (Monday 6 May - Sunday 12 May) is: NORTH AMERICA - Staples Center, Los Angeles, California SOUTH AMERICA - Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina EUROPE - MEN Arena, Manchester, England ASIA - Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan AFRICA - Carnival City Big Top Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa IBL Chief Director James Molk took time out from his busy schedule to discuss the looming selection trials. "It's just tremendously exciting," said Molk. "There's been some talk in the past few days about the silence from myself and the IBL. There's a pretty simple explanation, which is that we've been working hard to make absolutely sure that these trials go off without a hitch. When I announced our formation, I said that the league would be the most professionally-run sporting organisation in the world and we plan to live up to those words. These trials will be the first contact that many people have with us and we want to leave a good first impression." Molk will be part of the team attending the trials in Africa. Set to fly out to Johannesburg on Friday, his feelings of anticipation were clear to see as he spoke. "I'm enthusiastic about the level of talent we'll discover, not just in Africa but all over the world. As everyone knows, the HBF's African Boxing League has been a great success and we believe that the IBL will succeed in making boxing even more popular in the region. The other trials are going to be really exciting, especially in Japan. They're boxing's biggest fans outside of America and to know that we'll be giving many Japanese fighters a chance to compete professionally is really satisfying." Asked about last week's Sanchez-Saldivar controversy, Molk shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "I've never seen two men with such hatred for each other," he said. "We were going to sit down with both of them in the same room, but it was just too difficult. So we spoke to each of them separately and all I can do is warn everyone not to miss it when they clash in the ring. I've told them both that there will be consequences if anything approaching the nightclub incident is repeated. Whether they'll take that to heart or not, I can't say." When questioned about his relationship with HBF President Michael Vincennes, Molk was quick to respond. "Nothing has changed," he said. "I still have a lot of respect for the man. Some unfortunate things were said in the days after we revealed ourselves and I get the feeling that the public, and the media, would have been happy if it just kept on going, day after day. I'm happy it didn't and I'm sure that he is, too. He's obviously busy running his federation and I've been doing the same thing. We don't have to be friends, and, even though I believe the best thing for boxing would be for it to be governed by one organisation, I see no reason why we can't peacefully exist side-by-side." __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond... Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 06-09-2006 at 10:55 PM.