APPROVAL OF SYLVESTER LOPEZ IBO TITLE FIGHT UNDER FIRE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 10 Jul 2013
The IBO super bantamweight/junior featherweight title fight between Filipino Sylvester Lopez and South Africa?s Thabiso Sonjica last weekend at the Orient Theater in East London, South Africa, has come under fire because of the unimpressive record and the low rankings of both fighters.
Sonjica who was ranked No. 29 won the title when Lopez who was ranked No. 35 quit in the 6th round in a one-sided contest.
Super Sport of South Africa noted that ?neither Sonjica, a South African, nor Lopez, a Filipino, has beaten a top-10 opponent. Two other South Africans, Jeffrey Mathabula and Takalani Ndlovu, are generally regarded as being among the top ten in the world in the junior featherweight division while four Filipinos in the division are ranked higher than Lopez, including the formidable Nonito Donaire.?
Donaire is ranked No.1, Drian Francisco No. 16, Genesis Servania No. 32 and Roli Gasca No. 33.
IBO president Ed Levine defended the decision to let the two fight for the world title claiming that other controlling bodies often sanctioned title fights between boxers with similar rankings stating that "The most-vaunted associations often recognize title fights between even lower-ranked boxers," Levine said.
Levine claimed as an example a case in which he said ?the WBO recently ratified a fight for one of their titles between boxers ranked 65th and 43rd? adding that "Other associations often disguise the rankings of the boxers fighting for their titles by artificially inflating their standings to give the impression of legitimacy.?
The IBO president disclosed that the IBO set a cut-off ranking of 35th but other associations sometimes sanctioned title fights between boxers with lower rankings.
Super Sport noted that with at least ten, probably more, organizations awarding ?world? titles in the 17 divisions, there could be nearly 200 champions when years ago there were only eight divisions and one champion in each.
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