IBO PRESIDENT ED LEVINE CLAIMS GUN TOTING INCIDENT INVOLVING SOUTH AFRICAN TRAINER NICK DURANDT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 16 Dec 2015
Ed Levine.
In an unbelievable twist to the gun toting incident involving South African trainer Nick Durant, IBO president Ed Levine said it was a misunderstanding while Filipino boxing manager Ryan Gabriel stands by his statement that it was a threat.
Levine who initially responded to Gabriel?s allegations that Durandt pulled out a gun when he insisted on getting his fighter, Renz Rosia?s purse at the manager?s meeting following the weigh-in which was stipulated in the contract saying the allegations made by Gabriel were ?distressing? and added ?there is no room in this sport for implied threats of any kind? and that he would discuss the matter with IBO Commissioner Len Hunt and trainer Durandt, directly.
Levine said in an email to manager Gabriel ?I am sure that your fighters will have many opportunities to challenge for IBO world titles in the future ?assuring Gabriel that the IBO ?wants to ensure a level playing field and will continue to do so in the future.?
However, in his latest email Levine claimed that Durandt and verified by IBO fight commissioner Hunt were ?quite different to the allegations? and said that the entire purse in cash of $8,000 was brought and shown? to manager Gabriel at the rules meeting and that Durandt indicated it might not be safe to keep that amount of cash in his possession and he offered to keep it safe until after the fight.
When Gabriel asked Durandt ?what if someone wants to take the money from you?? Durandt responsed by showing his licensed firearm and stating ?nobody will take this money from me.?
Durant claimed the gun was ?never displayed in any threatening way and when Gabriel insisted, the money was delivered and Gabriel signed a receipt for it.?
Levine went on to state that he has known Durandt to be very protective of fighters and the payment of their purses even when they are not his fighters.?
The IBO president concluded by stating ?we consider this matter closed and nothing more than a misunderstanding. We believe that all involved had the best intentions to make sure the fighter was paid and able to return home with his purse.?
But Gabriel told the New Standard/boxingmirror.com that what pains him is that the IBO president insists that what happened was a big misunderstanding even as he stood by his allegations against Durandt.
Gabriel stated ?my point is a gun is still a gun. There is no place for that in boxing? and wondered why the two Italian judges Matteo Montello and Giulio Piras who were at the rules meeting were not questioned.
He also said that Commissioner Hunt was not present and that he ?only told him what happened.? He said his boxer also saw it while standing a few feet away and that his boxer was ?standing a few from us and he saw what happened and he calmed the fighter by telling him it was nothing."
Gabriel also lamented the fact that his boxer, Renz Rosia was forced to have his blood drawn the day before the fight for an alleged AIDS test ?when our boxers are weak,? insisting that it should not be practiced anywhere.
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