By: Sean Crose
The World Boxing Council will be holding its 57th annual convention in Cancun October 21st through the 26th. The event will be held at the Grand Oasis Hotel and is being promoted as the biggest event of the year for the sport of boxing . The Council, widely known as the WBC, is the biggest of all the major professional boxing organizations and is associated with a full 166 countries around the world. Although such an event as the convention will clearly have a festive atmosphere (a Mayan Theme will be presented), the Council will also be discussing numerous matters of interest regarding the fight game.
A seminar for referees and judges will be held in order to bring improvement to some of the sport’s scoring and officiating (which is always a matter of controversy). There will be a focus here on the instant replay rule, which is being seen as a way to achieve more clear and objective rulings during and after fights. The use of earphones will also be discussed. Live crowds generally tend to react to anything their favorite fighter does, whether it’s effective or not, and such actions arguably can influence an official.
Another point of focus will be the Clean Boxing Program. The Council has joined Voluntary Anti Doping Association – VADA – in an attempt to keep the use of banned performance enhancing drugs – PEDs – out of boxing, where the impact of such drugs can be catastrophic. On top of that, the convention will address the matter of professional boxers engaging in the Olympic games. It is an idea the Council is strongly opposed to seeing come to fruition. Furthermore, standard issue matters of ranking and mandatories will be addressed during the time in Cancun.
Most importantly, the conference will focus on fighter safety. In a year of several high profile tragedies involving professional boxers, the issue carries with it a sense of urgency. The matter of weight safety is of particular interest to the Council, and will be addressed during the week long convention.
Aside from the issues that will be worked on at the gathering, a special tribute will be paid to ring great Julio Caesar Chavez. The legendary fighter will discuss his own battles with addiction and his fight to help others with their own battles through clinics he himself has established out of pocket.
The World Boxing Council was established in 1963. Its famous green belts are often seen as the premiere prizes of professional boxing