La Linea de la Concepcion, Spain – October 7, 2005. The 43rd annual World Boxing Council convention closed today in La Linea. As he ended the general assembly meeting, WBC President Jose Sulaiman said, “At every convention of the WBC, we see so many friends that we love that just the fact of seeing each other is what makes the WBC an organization of unity. It is very, very difficult for me to try to mediate in many of the matters that we have. But if there is no need of mediation, there is no need of us. If we don’t have problems, what do we need a president for? If we accept to be leaders, we have to take the reponsibilities of the leader and take them with courage, with respect, with humility, a profound sense of friendship and love, and service to others as the WBC proves every day.
“I know that sometimes we hurt each other, but you will never hear from me any aggressive word or action of any kind. We have had many problems through the years, but the fact is that the WBC has found a way to resolve the problems and come to 2005 in La Linea de la Concepcion stronger and more united than ever. The WBC deeply appreciates the efforts of all the people that worked with Ruben Martinez. I can see that everybody’s happy, and that’s the only thing that counts.
“It is sometimes very difficult for me, and I’m very sincere to tell you, in the recent times I open my eyes in the morning and I ask myself, “What do I want to get up for?” Sometimes I think that I better not open my eyes again because of all the the things we see, not only in our lives, but also what has happened in the world. But you know, there are so many things to do that those things have to be buried, and we have to keep on fighting and show that we are the leaders, and show others that we have the courage and we have the humility to accept that we can also be wrong. I accept that I am not perfect. I make many mistakes and for the mistakes that I make, I deeply, profoundly ask you for your understanding.
“I deeply appreciate your coming to the convention from so many different countries just to be with each other here in the meetings that we have, in the restaurants, the bars, and that’s what counts. I think that whatever has happened in the meetings has been done with a lot of hope and faith in the future of boxing.
“If there was not a WBC today, I assure you that there would mountains of enemies of boxing. We have come to the world to change boxing for the better. I remember it still, 15 years ago, the American, the British, and the Australian medical associations were very strongly against boxing. They were demanding that it was banned. The WBC quieted them because of your efforts to make it safe.
“So, let’s bury our hatchets. Let bygones be bygones. Let’s keep seeing each others’ faces at every convention and just continue expressing ourselves as freely and as emphatically as we have always done. I am very, very proud of all of you. I am deeply grateful to the Board of Governors, my friends. I will never, never feel defeated, and that’s what I would like to ask of you. We must continue fighting, we must continue leading, we must continue telling people that we are the best, and making right what we did wrong. There’s nothing wrong with that. So, thank you for coming.”
European Boxing Union President and WBC Executive Vice President Ruben Martinez of Spain, the convention’s host, announced that there were 634 attendants. Five hotels were needed to accommodate them all.
Earlier in the day, several WBC officers presented their annual reports to the assembly. African Boxing Union President and WBC Vice President Houcine Houichi of Tunisia presented the finance report; North American Boxing Federation Secretary Bismarck Morales of the United States presented the Rating Appeals Committee report; Executive Secretary Mauricio Sulaiman of Mexico presented the 2005 Boxing Season report; WBC Medical Advisory Board Chairman Dr. Paul Wallace of the United States presented the medical report; Ring Officials Chairman Hubert Minn of the United States had to leave the convention early due to family matters, and Tom Kaczmarek of the United States presented the Ring Officials report; NABF President Rex Walker of the United States presented the Youth Championships report; and Caribbean Boxing Federation President and WBC Vice President Roy Van Putten of Aruba presented the Continental Americas championships report.
At the Ring Officials Clinic on Tuesday, presentations were made by referee Joe Cortez of the United States, matchmaker/journalist Joe Koizumi of Japan, judge Tom Kaczmarek of the United States, and Dr. Paul Wallace of the United States.
Mandatory defenses were decided on Thursday.
Heavyweight: World champion Vitali Klitschko of Ukraine will make a mandatory defense against interim champion Hasim Rahman of the United States on November 12. The November 12 fight between No. 1 ranked Sinan Samil Sam of Turkey and No. 2 ranked Oleg Maskaev of Uzbekistan was approved as an eliminator for the No. 1 ranking, but not as a final eliminator to determine the official challenger.
Cruiserweight: World champion Jean Marc Mormeck of France must next make his mandatory defense against No. 1 ranked official challenger Guillermo Jones of Panama.
Light heavyweight: World champion Thomas Adamek of Poland will make his mandatory defense against No. 1 ranked official challenger Thomas Ulrich of Germany on October 15. The winner can make one voluntary defense, and the winner of that fight must next fight No. 2 ranked Paul Briggs of Australia. A fight between No. 3 ranked Pietro Aurino of Italy and No. 4 ranked Stipe Drews of Croatia was approved as an eliminator.
Super middleweight: World champion Markus Beyer of Germany is in a voluntary period. Raul Jaimes of Golden Boy Promotions suggested a tournament between the four highest available challengers, with the winner to become the official challenger. The Board of Governors approved the tournament.
Middleweight: The winner of the December 3 fight between world champion Jermain Taylor of the United States and No. 2 ranked Bernard Hopkins of the United States must next fight No. 1 ranked Ronald “Winky” Wright of the United States, who won an eliminator.
Super welterweight: World champion Ricardo Mayorga of Nicaragua will make his mandatory defense against No. 1 ranked Oscar De La Hoya of the United States next year.
Welterweight: World champion Zab Judah of the United States is in negotiations to fight No. 1 ranked Carlos Baldomir of Argentina, who has won two eliminators.
Super lightweight: World champion Floyd Mayweather of the United States is in a voluntary period. The fight between No. 1 ranked Junior Witter of England and No. 3 ranked Gianluca Branco of Italy was approved as a final eliminator.
Lightweight: The winner of the fight between world champion Diego Corrales of the United States and No. 1 ranked Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico was approved for a voluntary defense in December, then must fight No. 2 ranked Sirimongkol Singwancha of Thailand.
Super featherweight: world champion Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico is in a voluntary period. The fight between No. 1 ranked Erik Morales of Mexico and No. 2 ranked Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines was approved as a final eliminator.
Featherweight: World champion Injin Chi of Korea and interim champion Humberto Soto of Mexico were both approved for voluntary defenses. The winners of the two fights must fight for the undisputed WBC title by April. The fight between No. 1 ranked Nicky Cook of England and No. 2 ranked Robert Guerrero of the United States was approved as a final eliminator.
Super bantamweight: World champion Oscar Larios of Mexico is in a voluntary period.
Bantamweight: World champion Hozumi Hasegawa of Japan must fight No. 1 ranked Diego Morales of Mexico if Morales is medically approved. If not, Hasegawa must fight No. 2 ranked Veeraphol Nakhonluang of Thailand.
Super flyweight: World champion Masamori Tokuyama of Japan has reached an agreement to fight No. 1 ranked Jose Navarro of the United States in January.
Flyweight: World champion Pongasklek Wonjongkam of Thailand must next fight No. 1 ranked official challenger Rosendo Alvarez of Nicaragua.
Light flyweight: world champion Brian Viloria of the United States must next fight No. 1 ranked official challenger Juanito Rubillar of the Philippines.
Strawweight: World champion Eagle Kyowa of Japan will make a voluntary defense against Masaki Nakanuma on January 3. No. 1 ranked Rodel Mayol of the Philippines and No. 2 Lorenzo Trejo of Mexico have reached an agreement to fight in an eliminator.