[kenyan_cheena]

VINCENNES SPEAKS ON
THE FUTURE OF BOXING

Wednesday 11 September 2002

The Heavyweight Boxing Federation held a press conference today at their Manhattan headquarters where the organisation's president Michael Vincennes spoke on the future of their sport in front of a considerable media contingent.

"The HBF came into being just over twelve months ago," Vincennes began. "In the time since it's true to say that the sport of professional boxing has become a major force around the world. Personally, I've been amazed by the progress and growth we've achieved in such a short period of time. The International Boxing League was formed in April and it goes without saying that the organisation has played a huge part in the continuous popularisation of our sport."

Vincennes paused briefly, taking a sip from a glass of water before continuing.

"While professional boxing has come on in leaps and bounds, the same cannot be said for the amateur game. It's my opinion that amateur boxing has been long underfunded and underappreciated. With the exception of those couple of weeks that cover the Olympic games every four years, it's largely a non-event on the sporting calendar. This is something that should give fans and administrators of boxing in general cause for concern, because it's from the amateur ranks that many of the future champions of both the HBF and IBL will originate. During the past several weeks I've been engaged in some serious discussions with those who oversee amateur boxing both here in America and overseas in Europe, Africa and Asia. Today I'm proud to announce that, starting immediately, the sport will be receiving a substantial and long-term injection of funds."

As Vincennes paused, a dozen questions were thrown at him all at once. The federation president motioned for silence.

"I know that all of you have questions," he said, smiling. "And I know that one of the most obvious ones is where this funding is coming from. I'll answer that right away. Most would assume that this is something the HBF would not be able to handle by themselves, and they'd be right in that assumption. I've called on a number of personal friends in the business world, individuals who have jumped at the chance to be involved in securing the future of boxing. They're going to be of great help in this endeavour. But there's also another, more obvious source of these funds."

With that, a door to the left of Vincennes opened and out walked International Boxing League Chief Director James Molk, drawing a collective intake of breath from the gathered media before once again they were all competing with each other to ask questions, flashbulbs snapping like a feeding frenzy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr James Molk of the International Boxing League," said Vincennes.

Molk smiled before moving to Vincennes and shaking his hand. The HBF's head honcho then took a seat to the right of the podium, giving the floor to Molk.

"Thank you, Michael," said Molk. "I'm proud and excited to be here today for this exciting announcement. As you'd all know, Mr Vincennes and I have had our differences in the past but the subject that we're talking about today is something that unites us. There's nothing more important to both of us than making sure the future of this great sport of ours is a secure one and the steps that we've taken will go a very long way to making sure that's the case. All of the credit for this endeavour must go to Michael Vincennes. He broached the subject with me about six weeks ago and it's simply blossomed from there. All of you will be wondering how "substantial" this financial backing that we've entered into is. Without stating exact numbers, let me tell you that it's in the high eight-figure range. Anyone who knows how amateur boxing has been administered in recent years will be aware that it's a very substantial amount. That's all we're going to say on it for now. There will be more information on the distribution of these funds in the days to come. Right now, though, I'd like to introduce some of the finest amateur boxers currently competing under the banner of the United States of America. These young men may only be in their mid-teens now, but if all goes well for them in the next four to five years, they'll be well on their way to a successful professional boxing career by that time."

Coming through the same door that Molk had entered from were a quartet of teenagers, two of them black and two latino. They stood, somewhat sheepishly, to Molk's left.

"These four young gentlemen are all currently ranked number one in the United States amateur rankings. First we have Leon Spinks at Light-Heavyweight. Leon is 18 years old and yes, he is the younger brother of Sydney Olympics gold medallist and current IBL competitor Michael. We also have Michael Martinez, a Los Angeles native who competes in the Lightweight division. Next to him is a young man who hails from The Big Easy, New Orleans, our top Welterweight and the #5 ranked Welterweight in the world, Ronin James. And standing to my far left is Miami's own, a 16 year-old who could one day be competing for the HBF Championship, Yadel Pedroso."

As the reporters snapped away and the questions continued to flow, Vincennes came to his feet, shook Molk's hand and the hands of the four young men. They posed for a number of photos, Vincennes and Molk joking like old friends...