HOLD THEM TO ACCOUNT
VERY incisive and important conversation on the sanctioning bodies in last week’s magazine and on the podcast. Boxing News have been on the front foot with this issue going back to November 23, 2001, when the WBA elevated Bernard Hopkins to ‘super champion’ status and allowed William Joppy and Howard Eastman to contend the ‘regular’ title, which I believe was the first fight to hold this dubious distinction.
Around the turn of the millennium, HBO attempted to supersede the sanctioning bodies by refusing to mention them by name. Their preference for Lennox Lewis to fight Michael Grant over John Ruiz led to the heavyweight champion relinquishing the WBA’S title (thus initiating another farcical episode in that sanctioning body’s heavyweight history) with Don King’s courtroom manoeuvrings also playing a role.
It’s worth noting that the WBO was barely recognised outside the UK for the first decade of its existence, but fans seemed keen to embrace yet another sanctioning body bauble when one of their favourite fighters happened to hold it – so we can all take some ownership of this issue.
There is a glimmer of hope. Dan Rafael has done admirable work in holding the WBA to account following the Association of Boxing Commissions’ threat to withdraw recognition of the WBA they stripped all ‘interim’ belt holders and committed to eliminate all ‘regular’ belts by the end of 2022.
I think the approach to this should be two-pronged. In the short term, the sanctioning bodies are not going away so a combination of fan, media and TV network pressure should hold them to account and force reform, with the longterm goal of eventually replacing them with something more satisfactory. Daniel Baguley
SMITH ON BORROWED TIME
WATCHING Joe Smith Jnr-steve Geffrard, for the WBO light-heavy belt, it was hard not to feel sorry for Callum Johnson missing his opportunity. I believe he very likely would have won. Though Smith is a hard hitter, he is certainly not hard to hit, which gives both a heavy puncher (like Callum) or skilled pugilist a pretty good chance of beating him. Looking at recently published British ratings I would say any of the top five would have a good chance of besting him, which tells us how good they are, and how beatable certain belt-holders remain. Paul Thorpe
CAN ANYONE HELP? I WOULD like to appeal to BN readers for help acquiring a postcard. I need the one commemorating the 1948 fight between Freddie Mills and Gus Lesnevich. John Broome ( johnnybroome1818@outlook.com)