LAS VEGAS – The WBO and WBA will continue to sanction Saturday night’s cruiserweight title fight between Mexico’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and David Benavidez following a settlement with the WBC detailed in a prepared statement distributed Thursday.
Irked by the plan of Mexico-based WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman to maintain his tradition of awarding a special belt to the Cinco de Mayo main-event winner, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri said last month that his organization and the WBA were committed to yank their titles from Saturday’s winner.
Sulaiman invited both fighters last month to inspect the new “Tollan Tlatequi” belt at an unveiling ceremony in Mexico.
Olivieri said such a presentation would dim the importance of the WBO and WBA’s official belts, and even though WBA president Gilberto Mendoza balked at taking the matter any further, Olivieri pressed on.
In a letter dated April 7 to Ramirez’s Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez and Benanvidez’s promoters, Sampson Lewkowicz and Tom Brown, Olivieri details 10 conditions on the matter:
– The only world championships to be contested are the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and the World Boxing Association (WBA) cruiserweight championships.
– Under no circumstances whatsoever shall the WBO permit and/or allow the bestowment of any special belt, trophy, plaque, award, t-shirt, hat, pendant, painting, token, medal, medallion, belt, or otherwise, regardless of whether such item is commemorative, symbolic, or otherwise, in any format or modality.
– The only championships to be promoted, displayed, showcased, and awarded during all fight week activities, including but not limited to the final press conference, ceremonial television weigh-in, in-ring introductions, post-fight belt bestowment to the winner, and post-fight press conference shall be solely and exclusively the WBO and WBA cruiserweight championships. No exceptions shall be permitted.
– Failure to comply with any and all of the conditions outlined herein, which shall be enforced at the exclusive discretion of the WBO and acknowledged by the promoters of record, shall result in the immediate withdrawal and termination of the sanction approval, even if the bout has already been conducted, including but not limited to the declaration of the WBO cruiserweight championship as vacant.
– The promoters of record are solely and exclusively responsible for duly notifying the contents of this letter to the relevant parties, including the fighters and the local commission (Nevada Athletic Commission), including all terms and conditions contained herein.
Phoenix’s Benavidez 31-0 (25 KOs) does reign as the WBC light-heavyweight champion after winning the WBC super-middleweight title at a record-young age of 20.
Even though the WBC failed to press to demand its former 168lbs champion Canelo Alvarez to fight the rising Benavidez, the 29-year-old seemed impressed with the special belt that was to be given him in victory.
Now, Benavidez faces a rigorous title shot against a fighter expected to hydrate far beyond a weight class that’s 25 pounds greater than light-heavyweight.
Benavidez declared his readiness Wednesday at his media workout, elaborating that his fitness shines even though he’s fighting 25 pounds greater than the light-heavyweight limit.
