WBC slaps ban on fights in Ontario
Puts moratorium on matches after Mexican boxer suffers brain bleed in Toronto bout
The World Boxing Council has declared a moratorium on sanctioning bouts in Ontario after a Mexican boxer suffered a brain bleed during a fight in Toronto this month.
Guillermo “Vampiro” Herrera remains at St. Michael’s Hospital two weeks after collapsing following an eight-round TKO loss on a card at the Fairmont Royal York hotel.
In a news release published Tuesday afternoon, the Mexico City- based WBC cited “irregularities in connection with the fight” for its decision to stay away from Ontario.
The organization, one of three major pro boxing sanctioning bodies, also questions the Ontario Athletics Commission’s safety rules and is probing whether that played a role in Herrera’s injury and hospitalization.
Specifically, the WBC disagrees with requiring fighters to weigh in on the morning of the fight. Most jurisdictions stage weigh-ins the night before the fight to allow competitors time to recover from the strain of making weight.
Ontario also limits the amount of gauze fighters can apply to their hands, which the WBC says also goes against industry safety standards.
The WBC has sanctioned two title fights in Ontario in the last 13 months, but says it won’t do business here again until safety regulations change.
“The WBC has pleaded with the OAC to comply with the established world safety standards applicable to professional boxing,” the release says. “There is ample medical evidence that the OAC’s weigh-in practice is dangerous and can be detrimental to the health and safety of the fighters.”
Commissioner Ken Hayashi wasn’t made available for an interview, but in an email a commission spokesperson maintained Herrera’s injury is indicative of the sport’s inherent risk and not flaws in the commission’s rules.
The email defended the weigh-in practice, and said Mexican boxing authorities had approved Herrera to fight in Ontario.
“The OAC has confirmed that appropriate health and safety protocols were followed,” the email reads. “The OAC has had no direct contact from the World Boxing Council regarding the 2016 Shaw Festival Boxing Event.”
Herrera’s situation highlights several fighter safety concerns.
The 32-year-old father of two thought promoters had purchased health insurance for him before he faced Montreal’s Shakeel Phinn during the Shaw Festival’s annual gala.
But Ontario’s Athletics Control Act doesn’t require promoters to cover fighters, and Herrera had no insurance when he competed. While the Shaw Festival will cover his medical tests, St. Michael’s expects him to pay for his own hospital stay.
Meanwhile, Herrera’s cornermen say they waited upwards of 10 minutes for a doctor while the fighter lay unconscious in the ring. The commission confirms ringside physicians, according to protocol, left the ring and headed to the dressing rooms when Herrera didn’t appear injured immediately following the final bell.