The WBA has addressed the call of former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko to cancel the May 7 fight between WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and Canelo Alvarez due to Bivol’s Russian nationality.
“After careful consideration, we have decided that it would be unfair to both Mr. Bivol and Mr. Alvarez to not sanction their 12-round bout as a WBA title fight. We feel we would unfairly punish Mr. Bivol and Mr. Alvarez by boycotting their fight.”
Full WBA Statement
Like all compassionate people who believe in democracy and living peacefully, we at the WBA are heartbroken by the senseless loss of life in Ukraine.
Seeing innocent Ukrainians, particularly women and children murdered makes us sad and leaves us feeling somewhat helpless. We’re still beyond proud to watch several of boxing’s bravest current and former champions – Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Oleksandr Usyk, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Viktor Postol – fight for their lives and the future of their families and their country.
We also understand and respect the position of Wladimir Klitschko, one of our longtime champions, who has asked that we at the WBA, along with the entire boxing world, avoid sanctioning title fights involving Russian boxers while this brutal war continues. Mr. Klitschko specifically called for us to not sanction the upcoming light heavyweight bout between Russia’s Dmitry Bivol and Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
After careful consideration, we have decided that it would be unfair to both Mr. Bivol and Mr. Alvarez to not sanction their 12-round bout as a WBA title fight. We feel we would unfairly punish Mr. Bivol and Mr. Alvarez by boycotting their fight.
Mr. Bivol does not support the invasion and has been an exemplary champion throughout his long run as a WBA light heavyweight champion, both in and out of the ring.
As for Mr. Alvarez, he made a significant career decision before the war began, believing that if he returned to the light heavyweight division for their May 7th bout, he would be afforded the opportunity to win the WBA Light Heavyweight belt. We feel that denying Mr. Alvarez that opportunity due to a war that has nothing to do with him would be the wrong thing to do.
Lastly, we will continue to stand with all the bodies by not sanctioning WBA bouts in Russia for the duration of the war in Ukraine, which we hope and pray ends as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Gilberto Jesus Mendoza
President World Boxing Association
After careful considerations we decided that the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in sanctioning fees would unfairly punish the WBA so like the gutless cowards we’ve always have been have decided to sanction this fight
Wrong. Millions of $$$
So you prefer discriminating against all Russian people? And you think you’re the good guy? Wow!
Think he was just saying that they were not giving up their sanctioning fees was main reason for their decision rather than anything else.
Come on Wlad. Bivol has nothing to do with this “WAR”. Go away
He doesn’t, and I’m glad they didn’t cancel the fight. But surely you get Wlad’s point of view here? Strange in boxing that everyone is actually doing the right thing, and I have no problem with Wlad trying to apply pressure given the situation.
Puro Canelo Cabronessss!!!! México por el triunfó!!!
If both Bivol and Canelo want to fight, let them fight. Case closed.
Real ignorant and stupid to try to stop this fight. Bivol is not a soldier. Wladamir needs to shut the fuck up and stop clout chasing talking about he fighting! He not busting no guns at no Russian soldiers. Stfu
Good call. The bitchsko sisters are just mad because someone from Russia is getting attention. But they are bitter losers anyway, always hating on fury & most boring heavyweight champs we ever had.
Fury is always slating everyone, who gives him the right to talk crap about everyone, and no one is supposed to talk about him? You sound like Fury`s “drug dealing” father. He almost got a heart attack when someone mentioned that Fury can lose his next match.
Disappointing from Wlad. There’s too much agenda based cancelling going on these days
Bivol himself may not even agree with what Putin is doing anyway and can we totally trust the Mainstream Media’s reporting on it?
“Disappointing” the man has always been kinda of a dxxx. Tyson Fury call him out for being phony.
Nah! We can`t trust none of the reporting, either from the West or Russia. This is war, and propaganda is a huge part of the warfare.
While I disagree with Klitschko’s comments, it would be rude of me to assail his character or his reputation as a fighter, as some in this section have done. I don’t think it’s right that Russian fighters have to be sanctioned because of the actions of a madman, but the Klitschkos are in mortal danger and it sickens me that keyboard warriors seated in comfy sofas in a safe country can speak such falsehoods about them. They were great champions.
I agree with you, except the only “madman” I see is F. J. Biden and his crackhead Biolab partner-son and his string pullers.
@Jason: Thanks, well said.
Wlad’s a racist idiot. Bivol is not responsible for Russians attacking Ukraine any more than Lomachenko is responsible for Ukrainians who yanked African students off the trains who were trying to flee just like the Ukrainians and left to die. Politics has no business in boxing.
They, the Klitschkos are guilty of betraying the Ukrainian people by overthrowing their legally elected government thus leading to this chaos. These neocons are shameless.
Boxing does not need this kind of spiteful nationalistic venom. Leave Mr. Bivol out of this and go away.
I have not heard of Bivol being involved in any current military activity(ies) and/or in any type of criminal act(s). Unless proven otherwise, Bivol has maintained his professionalism for an opportunity to fight Canelo; and for an opportunity to earn income for his family.
Canelo has also maintained his professionalism for another payday.
Huh? WTF does Bivol have to do with this that war? No one was trying to cancel any Championship fights when any African countries at war but now these white countries at war we got all these sanctions and pulls outs cancellations boycotts on the verge of World War III. It’s ridiculous
I understand the idea that the Klitschko’s want to shut down anything Russian, but IMO cancelling Canelo vs Bivol will NOT CHANGE ANYTHING !
Of course the amount of $$$ will change if the fight is canceled
Looks like to many knockout loses might have done some brain damage to vlad. You can’t hate all Russians because of what Putin is doing.
Been put out of context in a way – Klitschko mentioned this amongst other questions, he did not bring this up himself and has not done so since. This makes it sound like he went out his way to stop the fight. But yes, a person has gotta watch what you say/mention.
Not like Bivol is a Russian soldier/athlete?! Bet Usyk and Loma would be opposed to canceling this fight as well!
Lol Ukraine is a corrupt piggy bank for the elites and Putin is destroying their planned New World Order. Go Putin!
Bivol is not even ethnic Russian.
Good job. Just like banning those who have the right to vote from the U.S. who voted for the Biden/Harris ticket. It isn’t Bivols fault while the brothers enjoy the millions they made.
The fight will go on as scheduled but I think when the time comes for the boxers to be paid, the US Government will hold up Bivol’s money.
Wladimir isn’t fighting shit. He’s just posting for photo ops to make it look like he is. And there’s no way the WBA would miss out on a sanctioning fee by sabotaging this fight. Please stop the genuflecting, it’s so cringe and old at this point.
But mainly because they’d lose out on sanctioning fees!