Remembering Gilberto Mendoza in the 10th Anniversary of His Passing
By Gabriel F. Cordero
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 12 Mar 2026
The San Francisco de Asis Church in the San Francisco neighborhood of Panama City was the setting for a memorial service commemorating the 10th anniversary of the passing of Venezuelan leader and WBA President Emeritus Gilberto Mendoza, who died on March 11, 2016.
Members of the WBA's official corps in Panama, along with fans and members of the press, gathered there to celebrate a mass and pay posthumous tribute to a man who dedicated his life to world boxing until his final moments.
Officials Gustavo Padilla, Ignacio Robles, Guillermo Pineda, Aida Tejada, Octavio Rodriguez, and Gilberto Echeverria, along with journalists Hector Villarreal and Ludo Saenz, and Don Alfredo Mendoza, a leader and grandson of Don Gilberto Mendoza, expressed their friendship, gratitude, and shared anecdotes, remembering the man also known as Engineer Mendoza.
Ten years ago, in his hometown of Barquisimeto, the bells tolled and applause rang out in farewell to Gilberto Mendoza. Now, he is remembered for his achievements and projects within the WBA, beginning with the Rules and Procedures for Classifications, which established the rules for the sport and became known as the "Mendoza Manual for Classifications."
During his tenure as WBA president, Mendoza created the WBA KO Drugs program, an anti-substance abuse initiative designed to help young people find a better future through boxing.
Photo by. Gabriel F. Cordero.
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