By Boxing Bob Newman
Day 3 of the WBA 99th convention, virtual version, commenced at 10:00 a.m., ET. The seminar topics were Challenges in Boxing, Boxing & Gender Equality and Olympic Boxing.
CHALLENGES IN BOXING
International journalist Claudia Trejo interviewed Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn and WBA president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza on the logistics of getting boxing back on its feet during this pandemic. While admitting that the difficulties are huge in getting boxing to return, Hearn felt that the promoters have a great product and the sport will return to its former luster.
Hearn also felt that in the UK, boxing will return back to “normal” with crowds, be that indoor or outdoor, full capacity or 50% capacity. That will remain to be seen.
“What we need is quality to bring the fans back. If we don’t have the ring walks, the crowd noise, we need to have quality match-ups.”
“We come from a sport where the powers that be don’t particularly like each other. But we have to work with each other. I think that hopefully, what’s happened in the world will make people want to work together.”
WBA president Gilberto Mendoza then joined the interview with Claudia Trejos and Eddie Hearn. Mendoza touched on what he felt had to happen in order to make boxing get back to where it was.
“We have four different presidents and many different promoters, wow that’s difficult! The last time we all met was 2014. We have to have promoters sit down with the presidents and get some rules set down. It’s not going to be easy but it’s something we have to do. For instance the World Boxing Super Series was an example of something that worked.”
Eddie Hearn discussed the impact of social media on the business side of boxing. “My dad came from an era where you had to go around and put posters up in train stations and shops to promote a fight. But now I’ve spent the last 10 years using the digital footprint and social media to the same effect. When you talk about digital platforms I think DAZN has been fantastic. When you ask somebody to pay $90 for a big fight that’s going to be difficult. People are willing to do it for a big fight but it can’t go on forever.”
Trejos broached The subject of E Sports, which is becoming extremely popular in the 18 to 35 demographic. She asked Hearns and Mendoza to discuss how the sport of boxing can deal with E Sports.
Said Hearn, “For me when you’re selling something, it always relies on the quality of the product. I don’t think it should be difficult to make people understand that. Young people don’t want to sit down on the couch and watch something on a television screen anymore. They wanted in their hand, on the go. It’s a new audience. You have to evolve with that audience and that’s a great experiment for us. The problem with boxing sometimes is that it’s so intrinsic and we’re so passionate about it sometimes. We have to open our mind, that’s the only way the sport is going to go. You’ve got to think outside the box. Anything that can grow the sport is important.”
Trejos then asked, do you think we can bring the sport back to its glory days?”
Mendoza: “With all the platforms we can do it. We have so many resources. Even my kids today want everything instantly, they want it now. I think my team is doing a fantastic job with social media.”
Hearn also admitted that there is a strong link between gaming and boxing. “I think a fight game would be absolutely huge. We are talking to a few software companies and we’ll see where it goes.”
BOXING & GENDER EQUALITY
Hanna Gabriels, Miriam Gutierrez, Seniesa Estrada, Claressa Shields and Orlando Cruz opened the forum on Boxing & Gender Equality.
Hanna Gabriels asked Orlando Cruz, the first openly gay male boxer to elaborate on his situation in boxing.
Orlando Cruz: My opinion- A couple years ago I see the story his situation (with former world champion Emile Griffith, who hadn’t come out as gay during his career). My respects because when I see his story, he was talking with them, with the people, he was talking with the family (of opponent Benny Paret who was fatally injured in his third fight with Griffith, whom Paret had called a “Maricon” of “Gay” during their weigh in), he was talking with everybody. I think is that in 1960 is very serious for the for the gay subject, you know? I mean the community is not accepting the gay in boxing you know? In my case, the people and my family and my boss, my team- everybody respects you know what I mean? Because my life is a special life. I can never including with my career never so my life is respect you know what I mean?
I mean in boxing or not boxing, I need more mentality you know what I mean? The more respect, because I mean now that the old (ways) change you know what I mean? Change so I need a small change and even more that they open the up their voice for talking to the the gay community about it more. In my case, I am the first openly gay man. But I am talking to everyone about my career.
Shields spoke first on gender discrimination. While not feeling completely discriminated against in the traditional sense, Shields felt that there is a prevailing attitude towards how a female boxer needs to conduct herself as opposed to a male fighter. “We are discouraged from saying, ‘I’m going to whip her ass,’ in building a fight. They think we should be saying, ‘Oh she’s pretty in her nice skirt, now let’s go have a fight!’” “We have to sell the fight!”
Miriam Gutierrez discussed purse disparity. “We train alike, we have to shed weight, plus work, maintain a house, care for children. The pay needs to come up.”
WBA president Mendoza supports 3 minute rounds for female boxing. Seniesa Estrada has fought 3 minute rounds previously. Everyone on the panel were in agreement that they would openly petition the WBC at the next female convention, the right to 3 minute rounds and 12 round title fights.
Gabriels posed a question on if anyone has experienced gender violence. Gutierrez said that she had and has received support from many around her in this regard.
OLYMPIC BOXING
Panel: Clemente Russo, Omar Narvaez, Ricardo Contreras, Gilberto Mendoza, Julius Julianis, Maximiliano Cordaro, Jesper Jensen and Tyson Lee.
It was asked if it is important have professional boxers in the Olympic cycle.
President of the Mexican Boxing Federation Ricardo Contreras: This is the first occasion where an organization, a professional boxing association ever invites to participate topics that have to do with the Olympic boxing to somebody like me that I’m the president of the Mexican boxing Federation. I believe that we would have to analyze two very important aspects in this topic and know that really big boxing has changed. This one of the few sports that didn’t have professional athletes in the Olympic games. As we can recall when basketball came in with the NBA and when soccer started. But it had taken boxing I think, a long time to accept professionals. The Olympics had taken a long time to accept professionals in their games and now it’s allowed, not with the quality and shine of boxers that people would like to watch professionally in Olympic games, but we all would like to watch Canelo Alvarez. We would like to watch boxer of a great importance and stars, but the attempt for the international Olympic committee to accept the professional boxers to play in the Olympic games is going to be fruitful maybe not next year but maybe soon in a few years.
Omar Narvaez: It was harder to achieve a gold medal in amateur boxing because you have less time in amateur boxing, necessary to turn a fight around if you lose the first round. However, I agree that the best amateur boxers become the best professional boxers.
Clemente Russo discussed the differences between Olympic boxing back in 2000 and now since he has competed in both eras. “This is not just a change from 2000 to now. The rules in 2016 compared to the ones set for 2020 in Tokyo which resemble much more professional boxing.”
WBA president Mendoza expressed his respect for amateur boxing. “This is just the first step in building a relationship between the WBA and USA Boxing.”
Julius Julianis: Since we have Tyson Lee, president of USA Boxing, Ricardo Contreras of Mexican Boxing Federation and WBA president Gilberto Mendoza, what can we do to implement a draft system for the Olympics and create national teams?
Tyson Lee: We have in the USA, we have a series of tournaments over time and that is working. We try to give our boxers as many opportunities as possible. The elite boxers will compete to earn a spot on the Olympic team. If we have international tournaments along the way, that is even better. In other sports, you have your farm leagues that become professional players. So it’s very comforting to have the WBA become interested in amateur boxing.
Ricardo Contreras: Of course international tournaments are necessary. It is harder to earn an Olympic medal than to win a championship on professional boxing. We have boxers who have had 350 amateur fights. Olympic boxers are like the runners who take 10 seconds to run a sprint. Professionals are like long distance runners. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Sugar Ray Leonard, to name a few, were big stars in amateur boxing and went on the adapt their styles as professionals.
Regarding”semi-pro” tournaments and participating in them:
Clemente Russo: This category must be promoted because this is the ideal test where we can understand and assess the potential of the boxer to become a professional at some point.
Gilberto Mendoza: We don’t have the athlete base where we can consider a youth champion. So boxers who need that experience, they can enter these semi-pro championships where we could have their involvement. I am in favor of holding these tournaments. We will continue proposing these tournaments and looking for empathy from the other organizations in this process.
Tyson Lee: Currently in the USA, these semi-pro tournaments are against the law. So that would be a big step here. I won’t say it’s impossible, but currently our position is amateurs fight amateurs and professionals stay with professionals.