By Rey Danseco
THE Philippines will host the 45th Annual World Anniversary Convention of the World Boxing Council (WBC) in 2007.
The incumbent Board of Governors of the WBC unanimously voted in favor of the Philippines, giving the right to hold the prestigious confab in this part of the globe for the first time in 37 years.
Games and Amusement Board (GAB) chairman Eric Buhain, one of WBC Board of Governors as part of his capacity as appointed vice president of Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation, was instrumental for the development after he made a bid in the 43rd edition of the yearly gathering of the most influential personalities in boxing from more than 90 countries that span five continents, last year in Cadiz, Spain.
The Philippines hosted the 5th and 8th edition of the conventions in 1967 and 1970, respectively, and will tie Thailand, venue of the 1985, 1991 and 2004 versions of the WBC gathering, in the amount of times an Asian venue has hosted the event.
The favorable decision for the Philippines was handed down on Jan. 29 in Cancun, Mexico during the 3-day WBC’s Night of Champions event; where Buhain, the WBC officials headed by president Jose Sulaiman of Mexico, and more than 100 current and former world champions attended.
"Mabuhay talaga ang Pilipinas, 2006 and 2007 are years that the Philippines will give a strong signal in the boxing world,” Commissioner Alex Paglumotan quoted Buhain as saying.
The GAB officials believe there is a need for heavy event preparations in order to make sure everything runs smooth. They also believe that staging the event will be beneficial for the country’s tourism industry.
More than 1,200 participants usually attend the annual affair, including boxing promoters, managers, matchmakers, ring officials such as judges and referees, ring physicians, and journalists among others.
