By Mitch Abramson
Promoter Bob Arum grew testy while discussing the WBA’s recent decision to strip Yuriorkis Gamboa of his “super world” featherweight title, criticizing the organization’s logic as a “business” decision and branding the sanctioning body system in boxing as “crazy.”
Gamboa fought Jorge Solis for the WBA “super world featherweight title” and IBF featherweight title back in March, but because Gamboa skipped a second weigh-in required by the IBF, Gamboa didn’t walk away with that title even though he stopped Solis in four rounds. Gamboa was later stripped of the WBA title this past June without a clear explanation.
“This whole thing is getting to be nonsense- all these organizations,” Arum said. “Who can waste time on following it up?”
When it was pointed out to Arum by a reporter that Gamboa’s team had apparently paid a sanctioning fee to the WBA before his fight with Solis, making the WBA's actions all the more confusing, Arum had this to say: “They’re all crazy. They all do everything for their own business. Every one of them with the exception of maybe the IBF and the WBO are - they’re businesses so they thought it was their best business interest to take the title away, and who’s going to waste time going into court to try and fight it.”
Therefore, Gamboa’s upcoming bout with Daniel Ponce de Leon on Sept. 10 in Atlantic City is not for anything other than bragging rights and a chance for bigger fights. The WBA did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Mitch Abramson covers the boxing scene for the New York Daily News and BoxingScene.com.