WORLD BOXING REVIEW
v. 52 / e. 5
MAY 2006
(following are selected entries from the magazine's "Notes & Quotes" section)
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Friday 05/05/06
"I respect the decision they've made, entirely. You know, they have to do what they feel is best for themselves, their families and their careers. So I respect their choices and I would never criticize them because of it. There are different factors at work here: loyalty and security to start with. Then there's the simple nature of change; some people fear change and therefore they might be suspicious of us. If they change their minds our door will always be open but I'll say this right now: anyone who isn't with us by May the 13th is going to have to get in through the ground floor, regardless of what they've achieved in the past."
International Boxing League President James Molk delivers a thinly-veiled warning to boxers who have rejected his organisation's advances. Molk re-affirmed during the league's dinner of 13 May that no favouritism will be shown to any boxer who joins the IBL in the future, meaning that any current alphabet champion who decides to do so will have to fight their way from the bottom to the top of the league's world rankings.
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Monday 08/05/06
"The Bodysnatcher don't answer to no one, mon. Not to the politicians, drug barons, the kingpins, the hustlers on the street and definitely not to de IBF. He be the king of all you see, mon. He know it and everyone else here know it, right? He defend that belt on his own time, see? When he say so."
Jamaican disc jockey Demar Marshall gives an indication that it's unlikely WBC/IBF Junior-Middleweight World Champion Mike McCallum will obey the directions of the IBF and make a mandatory defense of his belt against Oakland native Jimmy Doyle. As Marshall intimated 29 year-old McCallum (35-0-2(26)) is a living legend, the pride of his homeland and a man respected and revered by all on the Caribbean island.
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Wednesday 10/05/06
"I never had any problem with the guy personally. We got along well at the Olympics and we both came home champions. Everyone was happy with what he achieved and what I achieved, Georgie Dixon also. Folks say the guy turned his back on Canada when he went back to the UK but I prefer to believe his side of the story. He was born there and grew up there and only came to Canada 'cause his family moved here, so I understand him saying he always considered himself to be British. But how can you complain about a guy who became an Olympic Champion for our country? No, I won't speak a bad word about him and I'll be wishin' him all the best in the IBL."
Canada's Sam Langford voices his opinion on British boxer Lennox Lewis. After representing Canada during his amateur career Lewis returned to live in his place of birth (West Ham, England) shortly after the Athens Olympics. After finding an initial lack of acceptance from the English public Lewis has now been embraced as their greatest hope in decades of delivering the nation a world heavyweight championship.
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Saturday 13/05/06
"This has been the driving force behind everything I've done these last couple of years. To step in the ring against him has been my one ambition since before Athens and for it to possibly arrive so soon ... words can't describe how I'm feeling right now."
Interviewed at the MGM Grand following the unveiling of the IBL's tournament schedules Mexican featherweight Vicente Saldivar expressed his excitement over a possible quarter-final clash with his hated rival Salvador Sanchez (translated from spanish).
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Monday 15/05/06
"Most of the younger fellas haven't established themselves yet so we were able to make some pretty appealing offers to them. But some of the older guys, the "name" fighters, they're locked into really iron-clad deals, six- and seven-fight contracts that they couldn't get out of even if they wanted to. That was the situation with Frdddie Steele, although I had a feeling that even under more favourable circumstances he might have turned us down. All he cares about right now is getting ready for Lytell. That's his focus. But there were a couple of instances where we had to buy out huge deals just to get to square one. I get dizzy whenever I think about what it took to get Kenny Norton's signature. Of course, we couldn't pick up everyone we wanted to but we always knew that would be the case. But who knows what the future holds? I think that we've done pretty damn good, hell, better than good, just looking at it as a starting point."
IBL vice-president Michael Vincennes outlines some of the difficulties the organisation experienced while signing over 500 fighters to contracts for their upcoming tournaments.
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Tuesday 16/05/06
"No doubt the IBL and the world will find out they made a big mistake in placing Pancho so low once the tournament starts. Everyone saw what he did in Athens and how fantastic he's been since then so when they say "upsets" they'll just be expected results for us."
Filipino boxing writer Jovin Unabia voices his country's reaction to the IBL's decision to place undefeated Olympic gold medallist Pancho Villa as only the 15th seed in the flyweight division's challenger's tournament. The 23 year-old has accumulated a 15-0(13) record since turning professional after Athens and in the opinion of Unabia and others will one day be regarded as one of the greatest fighters the country ever produced (translated from tagalog).
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Wednesday 17/05/06
"What can you say that hasn't already been said? I mean, they ripped the heart out of the WBA, plundered and pillaged them. They ain't got a single champion from heavyweight down to middleweight, Jim. How the hell do you put a positive spin on that?!? The IBF ain't faired any better but they took the hit in the lower divisions. You know, I laughed it off last month when Vielma suggested the WBC merger but after what Molk has done to them that might be the only way for them to get back any relevance."
Showtime's Hugh Ballard discusses the dire situation the World Boxing Association finds itself in after losing seven of their reigning world champions to the International Boxing League.
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Thursday 18/05/06
"A lot of people said that I made a mistake retiring at 32, and in hindsight I guess they were right. Even though I was completely at peace with the decision, the bug never left me through these last two years. I felt I'd achieved everything I wanted to in the sport but when Mr. Molk went to the effort of seeking me out and asking if I was interested in a comeback, something inside just told me to do it. Now I'm like a young kid again, just real excited about being involved in something that I think'll be pretty special."
Brooklyn-born former WBA light-heavyweight champion Maurice Holmes speaking on his decision to join the IBL. The 34 year-old retired in July 2004 after being dethroned by Harold Johnson a year earlier but will add some much-needed intrigue to the league's World Junior-Heavyweight Championship tournament as its #2 seed.
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Saturday 20/05/06
"I told him that I was feeling real gratitude for him, you know? Real respect and gratitude and admiration. I was washed up, on the scrap heap when they came callin'. For them to give me this opportunity is more than I could ask for."
Former heavyweight contender Michael Dokes discussing the debt he feels he owes to James Molk and the International Boxing League. The 33 year-old had been out of action for sixteen months before Molk contacted him personally and said that he'd love to have him compete in the league's World Heavyweight Championship tournament. One of boxing's hard-luck stories, Dokes (33-6-2(24)) has been unsuccessful in three world title fights during his career, losing one by contentious split decision and being held to an even more questionable draw in another. He's also been abused by a number of promoters and, having previously expressed his admiration for him, Molk has now held out his hand to give the Ohio-born boxer another chance, albeit against Ken Norton.
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Monday 22/05/06
"No way, man. Joey Jeannette's my boy, understand? I got massive respect for the brother, both in and out of the ring. He pushed me all the way back in Detroit and I've been payin' attention to what he's achieved since then. The brother is dangerous and if we happen to meet in the tourney I'll need to be at my absolute best to get past him. Now, as for that bum from Brooklyn, he ain't got a hope in hell. You just watch him choke his way out of contention. You know it'll happen 'cause the chump did it before and, God as my witness, he'll do it again."
California-based slugger Jack Johnson offers contrasting opinions on two of his potential opponents in the IBL's Heavyweight Challenger's tournament, Joe Jeannette and Riddick Bowe.
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Wednesday 24/05/06
"They're all saying I ain't prepared for this, that I've been fightin' cream puffs and what I've done to date won't help me when I step in the ring against Fulton. I say screw that! Has Freddie Fulton ever faced anyone with my power? I don't think so! They're sayin' I'm in a tough part of the draw but I ain't got a thing to lose, you know? A man with nothing to lose is a dangerous man, and I'm plannin' on bein' dangerous."
Hard-hitting Indianapolis heavyweight Mike "Hector" Hanson talking tough during an interview with a local radio station ahead of next month's IBL tournaments.
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Friday 26/05/06
"It's amazing to see how much progress has been made in just three short years. I think a lot of people were worried about how the situation would play out after Castro passed but I don't think we could have asked for much better than this. I really can't believe that I'll be contesting the first world title fight in Cuba since 1958."
WBC Welterweight Champion Jose Napoles speaking on his August title defense against #1-ranked New Yorker Marcelo Smith. The fight will be staged at Havana's Gran Stadium, making it, as Napoles said, the first title fight to be held in Cuba in almost fifty years. The IBL have scheduled one of their upcoming tournament cards to be held at the same venue on the 13th of June.
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