IBF STANDS BY ITS OFFICIALS FOR GORRES-DARCHINYAN ELIMINATOR
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 13 Jan 2008
IBF president Marian Muhammad stands pat on the officials named for the IBF super flyweight eliminator between Z ?The Dream? Gorres and Australian Vic Darchinyan, the former IBF/IBO flyweight champion who lost the title to ?The Filipino Flash? Nonito Donaire by a fifth round stoppage last July 7.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today the IBF president said with finality that New Zealand?s top referee Lance Revill will be the third man in the ring after she replaced the original choice, Australian John Wright following a request from the ALA Gym, handlers of Gorres, through representative Samson Lewkowicz.
The objection to Wright by Tony Aldeguer and his son Michael who has assumed the mantle of his father was a question of perception since the officials supervisor was Australian Ray Wheatley and another judge Cec Perkins was also an Australian with journalist Salven Lagumbay from the Philippines and Montol Suriyachand of Thailand serving as the two other judges.
The Gorres camp was reportedly unhappy that a New Zealander was named to replace an Australian pointing out that it seemed like there was hardly any difference. However, when we spoke to president Muhammad she was adamant against entertaining any more requests for a change in the referee.
The IBF president said that after receiving a call from Lewkowicz who was ?not pleased with the Australian referee I took him out. It?s a personal thing. I didn?t want to do it but I said okay so that Mr. Gorres does not go into the ring with preconceived notions.?
Muhammad said ?I did that. I changed the referee. I am not doing it anymore. They can fight or not fight. It is up to them. This is all about getting in the ring and winning a fight. Its not about geography or where a judge or referee comes from.?
Wright, is a former boxer who is regarded as Australia?s top referee. He refereed the fight of Darchinyan when he scored a smashing fifth round TKO over Jair Jimenez of Colombia. Revill, on the other hand is regarded as a New Zealand boxing stalwart who was the country?s light middleweight champion in 1972 and 1973 and was a bronze medalist in the tough Commonwealth Games in 1974.
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