By Boxing Bob Newman
Day 2 of meetings at the 59th annual WBC convention in Mexico City got underway in the Castillo Room with a variety of reports.
Dr. Margaret Goodman, head of VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency) spoke on the ongoing work that the agency is doing. Dr. Goodman said there is a triple threat of HGH (Human Growth Hormone), Testosterone and Insulin which athletes are using in the latest scourge of PED. Several Asthma treatment are also being used for purposes other than treating the respiratory condition and unless the athlete has the diagnosis of Asthma or a similar respiratory ailment, they will be penalized. Dr. Goodman encouraged any and all athletes and their camps, especially the younger generation, to connect with the agency on their social media platforms, especially Twitter and Instagram. She also stressed to athletes never to take anything being offered by someone, when they haven’t done the research, either themselves or by contacting VADA.
NABF president Duane Ford gave a lecture on scoring criteria. Ford had been a critical key in the previous day’s ring officials seminar, with both refereeing and judging exercises being conducted. Ford continued to look into the concept of scoring rounds, “Close, Moderate, Decisive, which can assist in scrutiny often experienced by judges in close fights, or even fights that may have appeared one-sided.
Dr. Paul Wallace, chairperson of the WBC Medical Board, delivered his medical reports along with an opening segment presented by Abraham Mitra, chairperson of GAB (Games and Amusement Board) of the Philippines. Entitled, “Accomplishments & Developments on Philippine Professional Boxing.” Medical exams are free of charge now under the GAB. Financial assistance has been delivered to former champs in need, such as Erbito Salavarria and Luisito Espinosa. Implementation of a device called an “Infrascanner,” or a handheld brain hematoma screener, has commenced. This helps in early detection of brain bleeds, affords less brain tissue damage and improved patient outcomes. It has been calculated at 88% sensitivity and 90.7% accuracy.
Wallace led off the “elephant in the room,” COVID-19 and Boxing. Dr. Wallace introduced Dr. Ricardo Monreal who is on the WBC Safe Boxing Task Force. Monreal discussed the long-term effect of COVID on a previously healthy boxer who was afflicted two months before his scheduled fight. He recovered, passed all medical exams in the USA, but brutally lost his fight via KO. The aftermath saw pericarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), low blood oxygen levels, tachycadia (high heart rate) and a slow gait. Monreal stressed that COVID is no longer classified as simply a pulmonary disease, but rather affects many other parts of the body.
Dr. Arthif Daniel, a dentist by day and professional boxer by night, delivered a talk entitled, “Dental Health For Professional Boxers.” Daniel talked about the prevention of dental issues with bi-annual check-ups and common dental diseases such as periodontal disease. Dr. Daniel also stressed the importance of a proper mouthpiece with custom-made mouthpieces as opposed to “boil-and-bite” mouthpieces.
After a short coffee break, Hall-of-Famer Sugar Ray Leonard held a round table Q&A session with the audience. It eventually, turned into a reunion with old foe and fellow legend Roberto Duran and ended with a tribute to their common ring foe, the late Marvin Hagler. A full video to come shortly.
MMA & boxing nutritionist George Lockhart had the misfortune of following the Sugar Ray Leonard talk, but he took charge and gave an informative talk on training camps, scientific nutritional preparations that may debunk traditional boxing training camp methods. A former U.S. Marine, MMA fighter and now nutritionist, Lockhart discussed the ongoing dangers of dehydration in weight loss and many misconceptions of carbohydrates in diet.
Mykola Kovalchuk, president of WBC Ukraine, presented a slide show remembering the 2018 WBC convention in Kiev, Ukraine, as well as great Ukrainian WBC champions such as Vitali Klitschko, Viktor Postol, Vasyl Lomachenko, Oleksandr Usyk and Oleksandr Gvozdyk. A WBC Ukraine belt was unveiled and will serve a s springboard for up and coming Ukrainian boxers as they work towards a WBC world title belt.
WBC judge and referee Stephen Blea reported on the WBC amateur tournaments, held in Colorado and thanked the WBC for their continued support. Blea was presented with a medal by Sugar Ray Leonard.
Joanna Aguilar was presented with the WBC Woman of the Year award for her work during the pandemic, helping keep WBC initiatives up and running. Also honored were Vice president Hocine Houichi for his longevity within the WBC, Dr. Marcos Arienti, Oksana Semenshina and WBC legal counsel Alberto León.
The Medical staff, which conducted COVID tests nearly 12 hours a day for the duration of the convention, was honored and recognized for their tireless work.
