Buhain Appeals to OPBF Member Countries: ?Respect each other?s boxing commission?
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 19 Nov 2007
In order to finally nip in the bud "alarming" cases of boxing mismatches in the Oriental Pacific zone, Games and Amusement Board (GAB) chairman Eric R. Buhain has appealed to member countries of the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) to strictly follow the policies and requirements for boxers fighting abroad and "respect each other?s boxing commission."
Buhain made the appeal Nov. 13 during the 46th OPBF meeting at the Manila Hotel in the recent 45th World Boxing Council (WBC) convention even as he exhorted those in attendance to enforce the two most important mandatory requirements: submission of the boxer?s medical records and certification from the concerned boxing commission before a visiting boxer is allowed to fight.
"All we need to do to avoid cases of mismatches that would result into ring deaths is to respect each other?s boxing commission,? chortled Buhain. "We don?t want to see boxers going home in the caskets."
Buhain reminded fellow OPBF delegates of the OPBF Article 31-1 which states that "No boxer shall fight abroad unless authorized by his respective commission. Such authority shall be in the form of a letter of authorization addressed to the commission of the country where the contest will be held, including, among others, the personal photo, duly attested and authenticated by the issuing office of the commission. Promoters shall not accept the service of boxers without such letter of authorization."
INCIDENCE OF MISMATCHES
For his part, OPBF president Frank Quill acknowledged that the incidence of mismatches in the OPBF zone "as well as elsewhere in the world" has caused problems in boxing.
"This will be a keynote matter in the WBC convention and we in the OPBF will work independently and in cooperation with the WBC to resolve it," Quill said in his President?s Report 2007.
Quill stressed: "An allied point is the shameful abuse of traveling boxers by insensitive or unscrupulous?fortunately, a minority?number of promoters, trainers, managers and agents."
The OPBF chief added, "They ?pirate? boxers for mismatches overseas?without the knowledge of, or clearance by, those boxers? home commissions. Unfortunately, my home country, Australia, is an offender here."
He did not elaborate.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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