GAB Should Exercise Authority on Casimero's JBC Suspension Case
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 28 Oct 2024
As I understand it, the Games and Amusements Board as the regulatory agency of all professional sports including pro boxing, has the authority to exercise supervision over boxers particularly with regards to their contractual obligations here and I believe even abroad.
It is the GAB that issues license to pro boxers, among others, in the tacit understanding that while in possession of such license they will comport themselves in the standard norms of civility and professionalism. Breach or violation of which will subject erring pro boxers to sanctions.
Which the Japan Boxing Commission did in the exercise of its authority over Johnriel Casimero's most recent case of breach of contractual obligation and unprofessional conduct as they happened in its territorial jurisdiction. If we look hard enough, we will see that the JBC did what it did also in lieu of the GAB which should rightfully be disciplining Casimero.
I therefore find it unbelievable that what our GAB did is something like a slap in the wrist while expressing the hope that the subject boxer has seen his mistakes and mend his ways.
Hello? GAB, you are the sole regulatory authority when it comes to professional boxing and its practitioners, especially boxers! As an unsolicited advice, I think it is high time for the GAB to revisit its mandate particularly with regard to pro boxing and boxers.
While talking to my partner Romuel Alarcon who brought up the topic in our regular Saturday boxing show "Sport Lang" over Radyo Pilipinas Dos 918 khz, my mind is swimming at the thought of what other national agencies could have had jurisdiction over the matter.
I was thinking could the DFA and/or BI also had helped in applying some sort of sanction vis a vis errant foreign-travelling local athletes? Sounds far off But extreme cases require extreme measures. Like say stricter vetting procedures.
Of course, we understand the laissez faire nature of professional boxing. But it has long been recognized that a national agency like GAB or JBC and state commissions as in the US are needed and were in fact established along with the introduction of the sport specifically to govern and regulate its players and how it is conducted in their jurisdiction. And also prevent possible costly lawsuits, if I may add.
Note that this is not the first time for Johnriel Casinero who is also carrying the name and flag and image of our country wherever he is plying his trade.
The first time was when he did not show up in the scheduled day before the fight weighin the defense of his WBO bantamweight title versus Paul Butler of the UK in UAE because he allegedly contracted viral gastritis the day (night?) before. A local medical institution issued a medical certificate to the effect but the Butler camp allegedly saw posts or blogs in the internet saying that it was just an alibi as Casimero in fact could not make the contracted weight limit. The snafu affected the promotion but not that much as the Casimero-Butler bout was just in the undercards.
Despite the Butler camp allegations, the WBO gave Casimero the benefit of the doubt. But not entirely as the WBO came up with a memorandum warning him it would not brook any repetition of the same in the rescheduled fight to be held in September of the same year in the UK with the threat that the title would be stripped from him.
It was shameful enough that the WBO had to issue a lengthy memorandum which contained a detailed warning to our boxer.
But what did the GAB then do to ensure that Johnriel would abide by the stipulations?
Isn't the GAB likewise vested with a sort of visitorial authority to see how Casimero was doing to avoid repetition of the UAE brouhaha?
To cut the story short, Casimero repeated his infraction though this time not through his inability to show up in the scheduled day before the fight weighin. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) did not allow him. The day before, he and his brother went into a sauna and apparently took a sauna bath which is strictly not allowed by BBBofC for boxers with scheduled bouts for its weight reducing effect. Worst, the brothers even allegedly posted the sauna visit in the social media!
The WBO a little later stripped him of his world title which was declared vacant.
Now it has happened again in form of one year suspension from fighting in Japan.
And all the GAB says is, shape up please, Johnriel and for the promoters to redesign their fight contracts to protect themselves from loss on account of rule violator?
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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