GUAYNABO, PR (10/19/16)– El monarca Jr. Mediano de la OMB, Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez, pisó suelo boricua en la tarde de hoy, esto para participar de la Vigésimo Novena Convención Anual de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo que se lleva a cabo hasta el 21 de octubre en el Hotel Caribe Hilton de San Juan, Puerto Rico.
‘Canelo’, quien el pasado mes de septiembre destronó al británico Liam Smith, participó esta noche de una ‘La fiesta mexicana’, la cual se celebró en el restaurante Tijuana’s Bar & Grill de Guaynabo, donde la OMB y su Presidente Lcdo. Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel le hicieron entrega de un reconocimiento al Alcalde de esta ciudad, Hon. Héctor O’Neill, por su fiel compromiso con la juventud y el deporte.
Adicional a la plana mayor del boxeo internacional, los campeones mundiales Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford y Katsunari Takayama,
Mañana, jueves, 20 de octubre será la entrega oficial del cinturón Jr. Mediano a ‘Canelo’, esto como parte de la tradicional Cena de Gala.
Para más información relacionada a la 29na Convención de la OMB, accedan a: www.wboboxing.com/conventio
By David Finger
Day two of the 29th annual WBO convention featured the official’s seminars for much of the day as the morning saw Judge Steve Weisfeld give an effective judges training seminar to kick off the morning. While the judges were getting their ABC certification the executive committee listened to Vice President John Duggan in regards to the recently implemented amendments to the constitution and bylaws of the WBO. He also offered some clarification of the role of the WBO inspector in champion ship fights, in particular with issues like pregnancy tests, HIV tests, and other requirements often set forth by local commissions. Duggan stressed that these requirements need to be conducted by the local commission due to the danger of confusion over the role of the WBO in such fights.
“Dividing the authority can lead to it being improperly done,” Duggan said. “It confuses the function of the WBO. Host commissions have the responsibility. We want there to be a clear line of demarcation of authority. It’s not that we don’t want them done. We want them to be optimally done.”
Duggan expressed concerns over the possibility of a commission or inspector “passing the buck” if there was not this clear line of demarcation. “Our function is limited to awarding the championship,” Duggan added.
After lunch, the referees heard three excellent training sessions from Dr. Nitin Sethi, Dr. Barry Jordan, and Dr. Paul Wallace. Each doctor discussed different health issues associated with traumatic brain injury and steps referees can take to both recognize and prevent severe concussions or fatal injuries in prize fighters.
The night concluded at Tijuana’s Bar & Grill where both Terrence Crawford and Saul Alvarez made an appearance. The convention will continue tomorrow at 8:00 AM.
Correction: Yesterday it was reported that NABO Executive Director Jose Izquierdo withdrew his name from consideration in a contested election against First Vice President John Duggan. This was incorrect as he withdrew his name from consideration in a contested race for the vacant position of Second Vice President.
By David Finger
First it was the Rams to LA. Then the Raiders to Las Vegas. But now we may have the most surprising move in sports for 2016: the WBO to Florida.
On the first day of the 29th annual WBO convention in San Juan Puerto Rico the WBO voted to do what just two years ago would have seemed unthinkable: leave Puerto Rico.
With a unanimous vote from the executive committee and a unanimous vote from the WBO members across the world, the WBO just authorized the executive committee to unilaterally relocate the World Boxing Organization from Puerto Rico to the State of Florida.
After President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel made the proposal WBO officals chairperson Michael Pernick made the motion which was seconded by Geno Hernandez.
The move is in direct response to the WBO’s loss of tax exempt status in Puerto Rico.
Dr. Jose Cuevas, legal counsel for the WBO, summed up the situation in frank terms.
“They are treating us like boxing promoters!” Cuevas said. “within the economic crisis the government has tried 1,001 tactics to collect money from everyone.”
However Vice President Luis Batista Salas did stress that the move was hardly a certainty.
“The possibility is quite remote,” Salas said before adding that the WBO was continuing to try and work with the government of Puerto Rico.
The WBO is recognized by the US federal government as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, exempting them from having to pay taxes. However, last year after the economy of Puerto Rico collapsed, the government of Puerto Rico revoked the tax exempt status of the WBO. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico refused to consider the appeal of the WBO and as the matter stands now the WBO has a pending tax exempt status application with the government of Puerto Rico. With the vote today the WBO could relocate to Florida immediately if the application is denied.
The WBO was founded in 1988 and has been headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico since it’s founding.
By David Finger
The 29th annual WBO Convention convened today in a place that could only be considered home court for the organization: San Juan, Puerto Rico. But for how long will remain something of a mystery as the WBO took steps to relocate to Florida after a unanimous vote of both the executive committee and of standing members. Although talk of a move was the most significant topic of discussion on the first day of business, there was no shortage of other noteworthy events as the convention kicked off on a sad note as the WBO paid a touching tribute to a man that President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel called “one of the greatest international matchmakers in the history of boxing.” Hedi Tauab Mohammad was a frequent and welcome face at the WBO conventions over the years and his passing in 2016 was a sad blow not only for the WBO, but for boxing as a whole.
After the memorial for Tauab the WBO proceeded with the election for officials.
Right off the bat, Executive Committee Secretary and NABO / Intercontinental Executive Director Jose Izquierdo withdrew his name as a candidate for second vice president. Izquierdo was slated to run against long time vice president John Duggan, but his withdrawal gave Duggan an open path to another term as Duggan remained unopposed in the election. Duggan was reelected as second vice president in an uncontested election while longtime president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel was also reelected without opposition.
Closing off the officer’s election was Enro Lebega who was elected in an uncontested race for the position held by Jacith Bryan Labega, who elected to step down as second vice president. Geno Rodriguez was elected third vice president in an uncontested election taking over for Rudy Paz, who is currently suffering from health issues that prevented him from attending the convention. Adolfo Flores was reelected treasurer in an unopposed election while Rolando Marco Hermoso was reelected fourth vice president.
In the only contested election seven candidates ran for four vacancies on the executive committee. Markus Aslani, Igotr Mazurov, Rafael Lopez Santos, and John Handelaar were elected while Thomas Puetz, Marion Palatin and Edoardo Ceccoli fell short. Two other individuals received write in votes.
After the elections Luis Bautista Salas advised the officials present that they needed to take advantage of the ABC certification over the week to ensure that they were in compliance with WBO requirements.
From there WBO second vice president John Duggan introduced a representative from the newly founded Indian Boxing Council, Brigadier P.K. Raja from Bombay, who discussed his long and storied history in amateur boxing as well as his plans for professional boxing in India.
“We are hoping China and India, with their vast history of martial arts, embrace western boxing,” Duggan added. “We can only think of more great things to come.”
The international growth of boxing was further highlighted by the accomplishments of Oskar Canjura of El Salvador, who was proud to announce that after several years of hard work that he was able to get the government of El Salvador to recognize a duly appointed boxing commission in El Salvador.
“As of October 4, 2016 we have obtained the formal approval for the EL Salvador Boxing Commission,” Canjura said. “Yours truly serves as President. This is an effort that would not have been possible without the WBO.”
From there President Paco Valcarcel honored the service of longtime second vice president Jacinth Bryan Labega, who elected not to run for reelection. However, Labega told the WBO that although she was stepping down as second vice president that she would remain as a senior advisor.
“I want to thank the WBO,” Labega said. “My organization…our organization. As long as I can be here I will be here.”
“From there some administrative changes were discussed by John Duggan in regards to the WBO Constitution and bylaws, including clarification as to the definition of
purse” and the removal of the grievance committee from the world championship committee.”
After that the pending situation with the tax exempt status (and the possible move to Florida) was discussed before President Valcarcel honored longtime Ohio Gene Glenn, who announced his retirement.
After lunch, the regional vice president’s gave their reports starting with WBO Latino, which was presented by WBO Latino Vice President Rolando Marcos Hermoso.
2016 remained a banner year for WBO Latino even as the number of title fights dipped slightly from 35 to 27. However, Hermoso stressed that the quality of the title fights actually increased.
“We’ve imposed quality over quantity,” Hermoso said.
Hermoso then thanked Argentine promoter Mario Margossian who promoted 13 WBO Latino fights as well as lightweight Felix Verdejo, who fought in four WBO Latino title fights in 2016.
Since its founding, 158 fighters have won the WBO Latino title with 44 of those fighters having gone on to win world titles. In 2016 nine WBO Latino Champions fought for world titles with two of them winning world titles (Saul Alvarez and Oscar Escardon).
From there Istvan “Koko” Kovacs presented his report on WBO Europe. Six different titles are available to European promoters, ensuring that the WBO maintains a strong presence in Europe. In 2016 the WBO had 24 Intercontinental title fights with 16 taking place in Europe. There were 15 WBO International title fights with six taking place in Europe. WBO Europe had 21 title fights this year while 10 of the 14 WBO Youth title fights took place on European soil in 2016. Since it’s founding in 2009 there have been 138 European title fights and 70 champions, with five of those WBO European champions going on to win world titles.
Markus Aslani fooled Koko with his presentation of women’s boxing, stressing that the WBO female title remains a “symbol of quality” in the sport of boxing. He then humbly stepped down as head of the WBO Women’s boxing before nominating fellow Austrian Marion Palatin as his successor. Palatin was overwhelmingly supported by the members of the WBO, who voted her as Aslani’s replacement unanimously.
Following Aslani’s report was Leon Panoncillo’s report on the Asia Pacific region. The Asia Pacific continued to thrive under the leadership of Panoncillo. Panoncillo saw 15 total Asia Pacific Championships in 2016 with total revenue of $31,725.66 since the last convention. The WBO Oriental title had 19 title fights in 2016 with $46,608.45 in revenue raised. There was an astounding 30 WBO Africa championship fights, with revenue of $54,655.59 raised while the Asia Pacific Youth title saw four title fights and revenue of $5,300 raised. WBO International saw 23 total title fights with $201,896.37 in total revenue while the WBO Greater China saw six sanctioned fights with revenue of $6,900 brought in. The League of Fists brought in $12,000 of revenue after sanctioning 30 fights. In total Panoncillo oversaw 127 regional fights which brought in $359,086.07 in revenue. This was a substantial increase from 2015 when Panoncillo brought in $280,551.66 in revenue.
Panoncillo was followed by NABO head Jose Izquierdo, who presented his report on the state of the NABO. Izquierdo took over the NABO on February 19, 2014 and since his hiring the NABO exploded as one of the bedrocks of the WBO.
“We have been successful in expanding the visibility, legitimacy, and overall appeal of the NABO and Intercontinental brands,” Izqueirdo said. “Today the NABO and the Intercontinental belts are unlike the plethora of secondary titles that diminish the standing of rightful titlist, create confusion and ultimately undermine the public’s confidence in the sport of boxing.”
2016 was indeed a banner year for the NABO as it established a very visible presence in “virtually every weight division.” 20 fights have been sanctions for the NABO title since the last convention (with three more slated in the upcoming month) and 26 intercontinental title matches (with three more scheduled at this time). Both the NABO and the Intercontinental Boxing Organization experienced an increase in revenue since the last convention with $469,445 in cash for the Intercontinental (up from $343,502) and $83,047 for the NABO (up from $70,962 in 2015). Izquierdo then discussed the growing presence of the WBO on social media.
“I am extremely proud that we have a social media presence,” Izquierdo added, before noting that in the last two years the WBO Facebook page has gone up from around 1,000 followers to over 600,000.
However, Izquierdo sadly announced that he was stepping down as NABO and Executive Committee director at the close of his presentation. His replacement will undoubtedly have big shoes to fill, but can rest assured in knowing that the NABO is a thriving branch of the WBO and has been set up for success by Izquierdo.
The Treasurer’s Report followed with the discussion of the overall health of the WBO’ finances, before President Valcarcel gave his President’s report. Valcarcel had two of the attorney’s for the WBO discuss two pending matters starting with the status of the patents and branding of the WBO in Europe. From there attorney Andrew Horn discussed the status of a pending case filed in the State of New Mexico against the WBO. Horn refrained from discussing the parties or the facts of the case since the matter was still pending (for the record it was a lawsuit filed by Austin Trout over his ranking in the WBO) but Horn did express confidence that the WBO would be successful in defending the suit.
Closing out day one was the supervisor’s seminar by John Duggan. Day two will kick off tomorrow at 8AM.
By NotiFight
El puertorriqueño Francisco Valcárcel, presidente de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), fue reelecto Presidente de esta organización por los próximos 4 años, en el inicio de la 29 Convención Anual que se desarrolla en el Hotel Caribe Hilton, de San Juan, Puerto Rico. Más de 60 delegados de igual cantidad de países del mundo, se hicieron presentes este sábado para ratificar a Valcárcel como Presidente de la OMB. Por primera vez, Valcárcel fue electo como Presidente de la OMB en enero de 1995, manteniéndose en el cargo en los últimos 21 años. NotiFight.com conversó este martes con Valcárcel, al terminar las labores matutinas de la Convención en Puerto Rico.
By NotiFight
Este martes, se desarrolló la primera jornada de labores de la 29 Convención Anual de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), que tiene como escenario el Hotel Caribe Hilton de San Juan, Puerto Rico, con la presencia de delegados de todos los continentes del mundo. Esta jornada se centró en las elecciones del Comité Ejecutivo que presidirá la OMB durante los próximos cuatro años.
El puertorriqueño Francisco “Paco” Valcárcel, fue propuesto nuevamente al cargo de Presidente de la OMB, y su reelección fue unánime, confirmando el liderazgo y capacidad de gestión de este abogado boricua, que ha dirigido con buen suceso los destinos de este organismo a nivel mundial.
“Me llena de alegría, porque en una votación donde todo el mundo tiene derecho a postularse, tuvimos el apoyo de todas estas personas para salir nuevamente electo”, manifestó Valcárcel. “Un proceso donde tuvimos más de 60 países representados y ejerciendo su voto de manera secreta. Estoy muy contento, aunque a veces uno quisiera irse por lo sacrificado que es, las circunstancias y el compromiso no te permiten irte. Estoy satisfecho, ya que la Organización sigue creciendo y seguimos aportando mucho al deporte”.
También fueron electos John Duggan como Primer Vicepresidente, Erno Labega como Segundo Vicepresidente, Genaro “Gino” Rodríguez como Tercer Vicepresidente y Rolando Marcos Hermoso como Cuarto Vicepresidente.
Además, Adolfo “Fito” Flores revalidó como Tesorero y Luis Pérez como Comisionado Internacional. Pérez no estará presente en este cónclave de boxeo, debido a serios problemas de salud con su espalda. Pero continuará en la OMB, siempre trabajando de la mano con Valcárcel.
Mientras, Markus Aslani, Igor Mazurov, Rafael López Santos y John Handleaar fueron electos como Miembros del Comité Ejecutivo.
“Vamos a hacer unos nombramientos nuevos que estamos estudiando en estos momentos y estaremos anunciando durante la Convención”, dijo el Lcdo. Valcárcel. “Va a haber bastantes cambios en la composición del Organismo y en las personas que nos están ayudando en la labor del día a día”.
Markus Aslani tomó la palabra en la jornada matutina y anunció su renuncia como Coordinador del Boxeo Femenino. Propuso a la austríaca Marion Palatin como su sucesora, decisión que fue aceptaba por la Directiva de la OMB.
Erno Labega, quien fue electo como Segundo Vicepresidente, es por primera vez que laborará como directivo de la OMB. Prácticamente, ocupará el puesto de su madre Jacinth Brayn-Labega, quien deja el puesto y fue nombrada como Asesora del Comité Ejecutivo de la OMB.
By: NotiFight
En medio de un gran ambiente de camaradería, el puertorriqueño Francisco “Paco” Valcárcel, presidente de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), dio la bienvenida a todos los participantes de la 29 Convención Anual de este organismo, que se desarrolla a partir de este lunes en el Hotel Caribe Hilton de San Juan, Puerto Rico.
La bienvenida tuvo lugar en uno de los salones principales del Hotel Caribe Hilton, un acogedor hotel ubicado a las orillas del Mar Caribe. Valcárcel se mostró contento por la gran participación de promotores, manejadores, jueces, árbitros y toda la familia del boxeo internacional, que estará presente esta semana en la capital de Puerto Rico.
Este martes, a primera hora, se pondrá en marcha la primera jornada de labores de la Convención Anual y en el transcurso de la semana, se espera el arribo del mexicano Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, quien recibirá el cinturón superwelter de la OMB.
By David Finger
The 29th annual WBO convention kicked off Monday night at the beautiful Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The event started off with the 19th annual golf tournament at 6AM at the El Legado Golf Club in Guayama. At 7PM the festivities began as numerous WBO officials from around the world hit the Blue Martini near the Hotel Caribe for the welcome cocktail ceremony.
The 2016 Convention continues tomorrow as the General Assembly of the WBO Executive Committee kick off at 8AM in the San Cristobal room at the Hotel Caribe.
GUAYAMA, PR,- Durante la mañana de hoy, bajo un sol incandescente que azotaba a ‘La Isla del Encanto’, la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB) y su Presidente Lcdo. Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel, celebró el Décimo Noveno Torneo de Golf WBO en El Legado Golf Club de Guayama, Puerto Rico, como parte de las actividades de la Vigésimo Novena Convención Anual de la OMB, la cual se celebra en el Hotel Caribe Hilton hasta el 21 de octubre.
El campo de golf fue separado por el ingeniero Carlos Matos, quien es el propietario del lugar, para que la OMB y sus invitados pudieran celebrar el torneo de manera exclusiva.
Entre los ganadores, el cuatro veces Campeón Mundial, Miguel Cotto, ganó el tercer lugar en la categoría Neto y Carl Moretti, Vicepresidente de Top Rank, ganó ‘El tiro más recto’.
Mientras, en la categoría ‘Gross’, el árbitro Albert Brown ganó el tercer lugar, el juez Rocky Young se llevó el segundo lugar y el promotor alemán, Thomas Schmidt, cargó con el primer puesto y el premio de ‘El tiro más largo’.
Además, el premio de participación fue para el árbitro y juez polaco, Leszek Jankowiac, esto al acumular la puntuación más alta de la competencia.
La actividad contó con un desayuno cortesía de Burger King y un almuerzo que incluyó un exquisito lechón asado, sancocho y sabrosos entremeses puertorriqueños.
En el torneo participaron oficiales de la OMB, promotores, boxeadores y otras personalidades del boxeo a nivel mundial.
Para más información relacionada a la 29na Convención de la OMB, accedan a: www.wboboxing.com/convention