WBA Update: Rigondeaux, Moreno, Ali, Frazier, Freshmart

The WBA-WBO unified super bantamweight 122 lb champion Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux is celebrating a new birthday and we send him our best wishes and congratulations.

Rigondeaux was born 34 years ago Santiago de Cuba. He was a role model boxer of the national team, he won two Olympic golds, two world titles and seven national, as well as a gold in the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo 2003. He ended his amateur career with 243 victories and 4 losses.

He made his professional debut in 2009 in Miami and, since then, he has won 14 times in a row, 9 of them by KO.

In his seventh fight in 2010 he won the interim WBA super bantamweight 122 lb championship, and in 2012, after two successful defenses he won the regular title. He unified titles in 2013, defeating Nonito Donaire.
Happy birthday champ, best wishes from your WBA family.

The Panamanian boxer panameño Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno requested formally a direct rematch against the new World Boxing Association bantamweight 118 lb champion, Dominican Juan Carlos Payano.

The letter was addressed to the Championships Committee headed by Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, WBA vice-president. In the letter the fighter indicates several points he believes support the rematch and requests Gilberto Mendoza WBA President to consider his petition.
In 1975, at 10:45 am, the third and last fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier too place in Philippines. Named “The Thrilla in Manila”, the Araneta Coliseum was the fight site of the WBA-WBC heavyweight world title fights.

At a temperature of 40°C, both fighters entered into a real close battle, that began with Frazier, starting slowly as usual, being overwhelmed by Ali, who won the first rounds.

In the fourth round, things began to change as Frazier was waking up and imposing his will on before Ali, who was getting tired.

Frazier was a different boxer in round six, controlling the fight and in the following round, Ali started playing mind games with his opponent and told him; “Joe, they say you are washed up” and Frazier responded “They told you wrong, pretty boy”.

It was true, Frazier remained the owner of the second half of the fight, with Ali trying to stay close on the scorecards, and everyone thought he would be defeated.

However, in the tenth, Frazier began to look tired and Ali had his opportunity to attack, and to show off his speed as he did until round 13, when he blew out Frazier’s mouth piece, and left his jaw very battered by the end of the round.

Halfway through the round 14, Frazier’s trainer Eddie Futch stopped the fight and avoiding further punishment to Frazier, who said “I want him boss,” the trainer answered “it’s over. No one will forget what you did here today”

The most curious part of the historic final is that Ali had asked his trainer, Angelo Dundee, to cut his gloves because he would abandon the fight. “Frazier withdrew just before me; I did not believe that I could fight any longer.”

On October 24, 2014, Barranquilla will host the thirtieth version of the World Boxing Association KO Drugs in the Coliseum of the University of North.

The event will be officially presented on Thursday, by the organizing committee with the presence of WBA vice president, Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, who will give further details of the fights.

The organizers announced that the program there will be posthumous tribute to Billy Chams, a former boxing promoter.

The main event will be the first defense of the Colombian Darley Perez, who will put his WBA interim lightweight 135 lb belt at risk against Venezuelan Jaider Parra.

Thai boxer Knockout CP Freshmart became the World Boxing Association minimum weight 105 lb interim champion after his victory on Wednesday at the football stadium I-Mobile City Buriram, Thailand.

The three judges saw the local win, and scored unanimously 115-113, favoring the Asian boxer.

Freshmart is still undefeated in 9-0, 5 KO while Buitrago is defeated for the first time after 27 victories and 1 draw, and 16 KO’s.