[kenyan_cheena]

MOLK WELCOMES HBF'S PLANS
FOR JUNIOR-HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

Sunday 2 June 2002

Back on Friday night, HBF President Michael Vincennes made an announcement that has, somewhat surprisingly, attracted little discussion in the time since. The excitement of the Jimmy Young-Elmer Ray bout that followed it is most likely the major reason for this but even considering that, the announcement was quite an important one and should have garnered more attention than it has.

Vincennes revealed that once the federation's preliminary tournaments have come to a conclusion (sometime in the first half of 2004), they will be raising the minimum weight for the Heavyweight division to 190 pounds and establishing a "Junior-Heavyweight" division, which will cover the weight ranges from 175 to 190 pounds.

Those who followed the whole HBF vs IBL drama will remember Vincennes' words when he said that the only request he put to IBL Chief Director James Molk was to "stay below 180 pounds." Molk did better than that in keeping his Light-Heavyweight division at 175 pounds, as it is in the amateur ranks. It's a move that has allowed Vincennes to reveal the planned Junior-Heavyweight division but one that the HBF President believes was also deliberate, taking into account Molk's desire for one single organisation to run the sport of boxing.

"I won't deny it," said Molk today, while in transit to Ghana for next week's IBL selection trials. "I've never hidden my intentions and creating a Junior-Heavyweight division is one of the first things I would have proposed when the time inevitably came where our two organisations joined together. Mr. Vincennes has taken that option out of my hands, but I welcome his announcement. As he said himself, it makes sense. It brings more balance to the structure of the divisions as far as the weight ranges are concerned. I'm happy that the HBF have taken this step."

Molk went on to speak about what a talented division Junior-Heavyweight could be, naming a number of current Heavyweights who could find a home there.

"Guys like Langford and McVey and Tom Sharkey would be perfect for it," Molk said. "Even their number one seed Gene Tunney has been regularly weighing in below 190, so who knows? Maybe he'll even end up there. There's no doubt that it will be competitive."

The IBL Chief Director was not as enthusiastic when it was suggested that some of his own Light-Heavyweights could make the leap to Junior-Heavyweight and end up fighting under the HBF banner down the track.

"That's a possibility, I guess," he said, laughing. "We'll have to see how events play themselves out."

Molk also talked in an animated fashion about the Jimmy Young-Elmer Ray bout, saying that he felt the decision was a fair one.

"Elmer lost it in the middle rounds," said the son of the late Los Angeles Dragons founder and owner Kelvin Molk. "He said it himself. I would have been satisifed whichever way the decision went, 'cause it was a great fight. But as far as creating excitement for the upcoming group bouts, it was a good result. If Elmer had won, he would have all but stitched up a birth in stage two, but as it is, the three of them - Floyd, Jimmy and Elmer - are all there, each with as good a chance as the others. It's going to be a mighty exciting finish."