Why the WBA is a garbage #284

[Lance Uppercut]

From Dan Rafael's blog today on ESPN.COM:



Just when you thought a sanctioning body could get no more repulsive or obscene, the WBA has exceeded even my brutally low expectations. Simply put, if the WBA wasn't a total joke and a garbage organization before, it is now.

The WBA already had become a farce with its so-called "super champion" designation. The WBA says that it elevates its titleholders to super champion status when that beltholder unifies titles with any of the other most recognized organizations. It then declares the "regular" title vacant and matches two of the leading contenders in its horrid rankings. The WBA says it is to give the unified titleholder more time to make a mandatory defense. People with a clue see it for what it is -- an opportunity for the WBA to grab a second sanctioning fee in the same division.


As bad as that situation is -- and let's not even start with the fact that the WBA also sometimes has an interim titleholder, giving it three so-called champions in some divisions -- the WBA has sunk to all-time low, something I didn't even think was possible.


When Nate Campbell failed to make weight for his Feb. 14 lightweight title defense against Ali Funeka, all of his belts were vacated -- the IBF, WBO and WBA "super" title.


The IBF and WBO have both ordered fights to fill their vacancies. The IBF belt will be filled by a match between Joan Guzman and Yuri Romanov. The WBO's vacant trinket will be an added bonus Saturday night when lineal champion Juan Manuel Marquez defends the real title against Juan Diaz in a great matchup, one that certainly doesn't need alphabet soup poured all over it. But if the WBO wants to sanction the fight, fine. At least it's a match between the world's two best lightweights.


However, what the WBA is doing is such a joke, and so reprehensible, that it should immediately be disallowed from doing business in the United States because of its fraudulent nature.


While Campbell was the WBA's super champion, an unknown fighter named Paulus Moses (whom I do not rank among the world's 10 best lightweights) won the WBA regular title from similarly obscure Yusuke Kobori in January.


Once Campbell vacated his other alphabet belts he was no longer a unified titleholder. Therefore the WBA's super title in the lightweight division no longer existed and Moses became the one and only WBA titleholder. That means the only way another WBA super champion could be created was by having Moses fight another titleholder with the unified winner gaining that designation.


But leave it to the WBA to get creative in an obvious attempt to squeeze out a few more bucks. What did it do? Gilberto Mendoza Sr. and his banditos sanctioned Marquez-Diaz to be for the vacant super title, completely ignoring the rules under which the super title exists in the first place.


The WBA is an evil organization, but the blame for this atrocity must also fall at the feet of Golden Boy Promotions, which facilitated the sanction with the WBA, and the fighters for agreeing to pay part of their purses to take part in such a ridiculous sham.


• I aspire to someday be a unified interim super champion emeritus in recess. Or, better yet, how about a unified super emeritus interim champion in recess.

[luvfightgame]

Yeah it's kind of b.s. for that to exist at all, but at least the "title" will be unified once again. Only IBF out there after this.

I guess it's kind of a paradox.

[killersheep]

Wow that really is ridiculous a guess a title that is paramount to the "Super Champ" is in the cards in the near future. Maybe "Super duper champ"?

[JazMerkin]

From Dan Rafael's blog today on ESPN.COM:



Just when you thought a sanctioning body could get no more repulsive or obscene, the WBA has exceeded even my brutally low expectations. Simply put, if the WBA wasn't a total joke and a garbage organization before, it is now.

The WBA already had become a farce with its so-called "super champion" designation. The WBA says that it elevates its titleholders to super champion status when that beltholder unifies titles with any of the other most recognized organizations. It then declares the "regular" title vacant and matches two of the leading contenders in its horrid rankings. The WBA says it is to give the unified titleholder more time to make a mandatory defense. People with a clue see it for what it is -- an opportunity for the WBA to grab a second sanctioning fee in the same division.


As bad as that situation is -- and let's not even start with the fact that the WBA also sometimes has an interim titleholder, giving it three so-called champions in some divisions -- the WBA has sunk to all-time low, something I didn't even think was possible.


When Nate Campbell failed to make weight for his Feb. 14 lightweight title defense against Ali Funeka, all of his belts were vacated -- the IBF, WBO and WBA "super" title.


The IBF and WBO have both ordered fights to fill their vacancies. The IBF belt will be filled by a match between Joan Guzman and Yuri Romanov. The WBO's vacant trinket will be an added bonus Saturday night when lineal champion Juan Manuel Marquez defends the real title against Juan Diaz in a great matchup, one that certainly doesn't need alphabet soup poured all over it. But if the WBO wants to sanction the fight, fine. At least it's a match between the world's two best lightweights.


However, what the WBA is doing is such a joke, and so reprehensible, that it should immediately be disallowed from doing business in the United States because of its fraudulent nature.


While Campbell was the WBA's super champion, an unknown fighter named Paulus Moses (whom I do not rank among the world's 10 best lightweights) won the WBA regular title from similarly obscure Yusuke Kobori in January.


Once Campbell vacated his other alphabet belts he was no longer a unified titleholder. Therefore the WBA's super title in the lightweight division no longer existed and Moses became the one and only WBA titleholder. That means the only way another WBA super champion could be created was by having Moses fight another titleholder with the unified winner gaining that designation.


But leave it to the WBA to get creative in an obvious attempt to squeeze out a few more bucks. What did it do? Gilberto Mendoza Sr. and his banditos sanctioned Marquez-Diaz to be for the vacant super title, completely ignoring the rules under which the super title exists in the first place.


The WBA is an evil organization, but the blame for this atrocity must also fall at the feet of Golden Boy Promotions, which facilitated the sanction with the WBA, and the fighters for agreeing to pay part of their purses to take part in such a ridiculous sham.


• I aspire to someday be a unified interim super champion emeritus in recess. Or, better yet, how about a unified super emeritus interim champion in recess.

I really hope Rafael was joking here because otherwise he takes boxing WAY too seriously. They're not exactly Union Carbide

[holmcall]

WBA is scum incarnate.

[amat]

But I don't really see the problem this time or maybe I'm misunderstanding something? They are giving the super strap to the 2 fighters who deserve it most right? I mean I know it goes against what the Super Belt means, but who would you rather have as your "super" champion, Diaz/Marquez or that Moses guy?

[BoomBoom]

Moses won the WBA Lightweight Title, yet Marquez-Diaz is for the "Vacant" WBA Lightweight Title. It makes absolutely no sense and is clearly political. I agree the WBA only cares about what is most lucrative.

[BoomBoom]

So would the WBA Light Welterweight Super champion be also known as the WBA Super Super Lightweight Champion