 The Worldwide Boxing Magazine Site |
Got your free t-shirt yet? |
| articles from the magazine ... |
|
SEPTEMBER 2000
Each month we bring you a selection of articles from the current and past issues of BOXING MONTHLY. To buy the magazine, see our subscription or back issues pages, or use our world distribution map to find a news-stand copy. Why not use our Interactive Forum to express your own boxing comments and opinions!
|
 |
YET MORE 'MAFIA'?
SUDRUDEE SAUNDRA TONGPITUK and JOHN HORNEWER look ahead to the latest round of intrigue and nonsense that comprises an Olympic boxing tournament and ask whether the sport will survive to 2004 |
|
In the four years since the Games in Atlanta, it has proven clear that
veterans of the Olympic experience are on the fast track towards success and
world title opportunities in the professional ranks. 1996 champions David Reid
and Vassily Jirov have won world titles. As of this writing, Istvan Kovacs and
Wladimir Klitschko are preparing to challenge for WBO titles held by Naseem
Hamed and Chris Byrd respectively. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Fernando Vargas of
Team USA are world championship veterans while teammate Eric Morel and 1992
Olympic Gold Medallist and 1996 Cuban Team member (prior to his defection) Joel
Casamayor have secured world titles this year. For all of the promise that the tournament holds, the boxing programme at the
Sydney Games will be conducted under a cloud of controversy that erupted a year
ago at the World Championships in Houston, Texas. Amidst allegations of fight
fixing and "Mafia" involvement in AIBA (amateur boxing’s governing
body), the Cuban Team withdrew from the tournament. The Cuban delegation was
penalised by AIBA — coach Alcides Sagarra was suspended for one year (but will
be available to coach in Sydney) whilst the great Teofilo Stevenson (two years)
and Secretary General of the Cuban Federation Jose Barrientos (four years) were
effectively banned from Sydney because of "unsubstantiated
allegations" against AIBA during the public protest of the decision in the
67 kg final. Never mind that AIBA reversed the decision and suspended four of
the five judges. The Cubans were expected to suffer the indignities in the
judging and play the game behind the scenes. Perhaps the evidence presented by
journalist Andrew Jennings in his latest critique of the Olympic movement, The
Great Olympic Swindle, will lead the Cubans to challenge the suspensions. To its credit, AIBA has promised to take measures to protect against
irregularities in judging at the Sydney Games. Executive Vice President Loring
Baker stated that AIBA feels that it must "go the extra mile to eliminate
the shadow of a doubt" about the fairness of the scoring. AIBA will have in
place video cameras that will monitor each judge in real time. It has also
instituted a review system that will analyse the computer printouts of the
scoring of each bout. In addition, all Olympic officials have been informed of
penalties for any "tinkering", and AIBA has adopted a policy that
promises to double the amount any bribe offered to an official if the official
reports the incident and proves that an offer has been made. In order to keep the field of competitors down to a manageable level, all
countries except Cuba were required to participate in a series of qualification
tournaments which defined the field for Sydney. Only Cuba, the USA and Russia
will field full squads of 12, followed by the Ukraine with 11 and Uzbekistan,
Romania and host Australia with 10 boxers each. England will be represented in
only two weight classes. The tournament will feature the return of three
reigning Gold Medallists. Heavyweight Felix Savon of Cuba will look to match the
record of Teofilo Stevenson by bringing home his third consecutive Gold Medal,
while Cuba’s Maikro Romero will attempt to duplicate the feat of Laslo Papp by
winning Gold Medals in two different weight classes (Romero is moving down in
weight for Sydney and will compete in the 48 kg division). After spending over
two years basking in the glory of being Thailand’s first Olympic Gold
Medallist, Somluck Kamsing is attempting to round into form in time to defend
his title in the 57 kg featherweight division. All three will face stiff
challenges. Savon must match his performance in Houston against the talented and
politically connected Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbekistan. Romero will need to be sharp
to surpass talented American and reigning world champion Brian Viloria. Viloria
not only won a lopsided decision in what most thought was a close fight against
Romero in the final in Houston, he also received the benefit of the scoring in
the US qualifiers when many thought that both of the Donaire brothers (Nonito
and Glen) had earned victories over the "Hawaiian Punch". Juan
Fontanills, the Cuban coach on loan to the Thai team for the past six years, has
found it difficult to handle the preparation of a boxer who has been accorded
star treatment since returning from Atlanta and presenting his Gold Medal to the
King. "I do not expect too much from Somluck. His preparation has not been
very good. He spends much time in Bangkok rather than here (two hours from the
capital) at Bonanza (the Thai training near a Kao Yai National Park). But
Somluck is very lucky. He was lucky with the draw in Atlanta. We will see what
happens in Sydney." Sydney will be full of stories for the press to cover. Audley Harrison will
keep the Brits amused by telling all present that he is the uncrowned champion,
amateur or professional. We will see how Audley performs against Vidoz of Italy,
Lezin of Russia and Rubalcaba of Cuba. The USA is sending its third consecutive
graduate of the Illinois Penal System at 91 kg as Michael Bennett of Chicago
follows in the footsteps of Nate Jones (Atlanta) and Donnell Nicholson
(Barcelona). Bennett has come far in the three years since his release, and his
hard work and dedication have earned the respect of teammates and coaches. The
co-captain of Team USA is hoping that he will finally be able to face off
against Savon in Sydney, as the two were set to meet in the final of the world
championship but did not due to the Cuban boycott. The other reigning US world
champion is Ricardo Juarez, a tough come-forward fighter who will be challenged
by Kamsing and Cuba’s Enrique Carrion. The Cuban featherweight has finally
made it to the Olympics after having missed out in 1992 (injuries sustained in a
street fight between Carrion and ’96 Olympic bantam Arnaldo Mesa resulted in
neither being able to go) and 1996 (suspension after testing positive for a
weight loss drug at an internal Cuban tournament). The hottest prospect and most talented boxer on Team USA is Ricardo Williams,
Jr. of Cincinnati. The light-welterweight’s only weakness is a lack of
international exposure. In the semifinals in Atlanta, American Floyd Mayweather,
Jr. "lost" to reigning world champion Todorov of Bulgaria in one of
the few bouts in which an American protest was merited. If the judges haven’t
seen enough of you, then you are not going to get all of the points you deserve.
Finally, the outstanding boxer of the tournament should be Cuban lightweight
Mario Kindelan, who is performing at a level far above any of his competition. If there is a sentimental favourite at the Sydney Games, then it will be Juan
Hernandez of Cuba. As a welterweight, Hernandez was awarded the silver medal in
the last two Olympics after questionable decisions in the finals. At the World
Championships in Houston, Hernandez joined Roy Jones, Jr. as a poster boy for
foul play in the scoring system. Hernandez is scheduled to move up in weight and
compete with Marion Simion of Romania for honours at 71 kg. One can only imagine
the harm that has been inflicted on the confidence and psyche of this fighter
after having suffered so many questionable calls. At least Juan Hernandez will
compete in Sydney. His cousin and two-time reigning Olympic Champ Ariel
Hernandez (75 kg) and two-time reigning Olympic Champion Hector Vinent (63.5 kg)
both failed to qualify for a spot on the Cuban team! Olympic boxing is on thin ice. There are many less controversial and more
sponsor-friendly sports that would like to be included in the Olympic line-up.
Remarkably, the threat does not come from the conduct of the athletes or from
the competition itself, but from the administration of the tournaments and the
judging of the matches. Allegations of improprieties have been around for as
long as boxing has been a sport. However, the present list of charges makes AIBA
and the amateur system out to be far worse than anything that has been uncovered
on the professional scene. On an academic level, we hope that AIBA’s latest
attempts to clean up the scoring results in an honest competition. To be
realistic, we hope that the injustices are kept to a minimum so that the
athletes receive their just due and Olympic Boxing survives the cut for 2004. |
|
Also available to read from issue:
|
|
On sale on the last Thursday of every month Ensure you never miss a copy . . . buy your subscription or back issues here. |