GILBERTO MENDOZA JR SUCCEEDS AILING FATHER AS WBA PRESIDENT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 15 Dec 2015
Gilberto Mendoza Jr has been elected at the directorate meeting of the 94th WBA Convention in Vera Cruz, Panama to succeed his ailing father and longtime president of the World Boxing Association, Gilberto Mendoza Sr as president.
Mendoza Sr spoke to those present at the directorate meeting via live video stream from his hospital bed and was as ebullient as ever?there was unanimity among the forty members at the Directorate Meeting that 2nd Vice President, Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, who has been acting President in his father?s absence,
be named new President of the organization.
When the closed-door session of the Directorate Meeting ended with many celebratory handshakes and hugs greeted the new President with WBO president Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel raising Mendoza's hand and giving him a hug.
In an impromptu press conference to announce the news, the newly elected president said, ?The passion I put into this sport was inherited from my father, of course. But this is what I?m going to do. I?m going to try to make boxing better. And one of my first messages as President is this: We need to work united.
We need unity in this sport. We need to create standards that are somehow uniform. And we can do it. I know we can do it."
He admitted that ?Boxing is maverick. We cannot lie about that. Promoters have their interests; and certain fighters too; and the TV as well. It?s a complicated world where flexibility is key. We don?t need big meetings. We just need to sit down and talk and respect the other?s position.?
Mendoza Jr added ?I?m optimistic 100 percent. Boxing has been life from the beginning of human history. I learned from the past that boxing has its ups and downs. But boxing is permanent. It?s an integral part of the human spirit.?
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