From the office of WBC President José Sulaiman: In response to statements made by WBC light flyweight world champion Rodel Mayol and his handlers, who said that they are concerned that he will not be treated fairly by the ring officials in his fight this Saturday in Mexico, the World Boxing Council prepared the following statement: The World Boxing Council is extremely disappointed to have read the statements made by Rodel Mayol and his camp in a published article
It is with deep regret that we have learned about the feelings of Mayol, of the Phillipines, and the WBC will get to the bottom of these unfounded concerns, as we cannot understand his declarations.
To put the record straight, here are some facts:
Mayol competed in a final elimination fight in Cancun, Mexico, in 2006. The fight was ordered by the WBC to determine the WBC mandatory contender. Rodel won by knockout in three rounds. All ring officials were neutral.
After he won the final elimination fight, the WBC named Mayol its mandatory contender.
WBC rules allowed Mayol to challenge WBC champion Eagle Kyowa in Japan and he lost by unanimous deicison. All ring officials were neutral.
Mayol was given the opportunity to challenge WBC champion Edgar Sosa in a voluntary fight, and signed two options, which is common practice everywhere in the world.
Mayol defeated Sosa in Chiapas, Mexico. All ring officials were neutral. The WBC will not even discuss the major controversy which arose from that fight, but simply mention that the WBC stood firmly by Mayol and confirmed him as WBC champion.
Omar Niño fought and defeated Juanito Rubillar in a WBC final elimination fight, just as Mayol did in 2006. Niño was named WBC mandatory contender. All ring officials were neutral.
Niño agreed to allow Sosa to fight Mayol instead of making the mandatory defense, as it was due in November, 2009.
Now that Mayol is champion, it seems that he has forgotten those same rules that helped him realize his dream of becomming WBC champion of he world. For him to question the WBC’s integrity is unacceptable and to question the honestly of the four North American ring officials selected for this bout will not be tolerated. The WBC appointed Gary Ritter from Oklahoma, Nathan Palmer from Indiana, and Stephen Blea from Colorado as judges, and referee Vic Drakulich from Nevada, all neutral officials.
The WBC is a world organization, based in Mexico, and has supported Philippine boxing throughout the years. The Philippines have a strong foundation in the WBC, and Mr. Justiniano Montano of the Philippines was a past president of our organization. The WBC has gone all-out to implement rules to guarantee that justice prevails: all WBC wolrd title fights are sanctioned with a neutral set of officials. For the record, Mayol has fought and lost three times for other organizations’ championships, and we wonder if those ring officials were from neutral countries ?
It is regretable that Mayol, who is a very nice and gentle person, could allow these irresponsible comments to be published on his behalf. His claims that the officials will hurt him and that he didn’t need to fight Niño have been explained in this statement, and the WBC is referring this matter to the WBC disciplinary committee to evaluate and rule if any actions will proceed to clarify these claims.
MIKAEL ZEWSKI PRO DEBUT THIS SATURDAY NIGHT IN AUGUSTA, GA!! CANADIAN AMATEUR SENSATION GUIDED BY CAMERON DUNKIN
AUGUSTA, GA (February 25, 2010) This Saturday night in Augusta, Georgia, home of the late, legendary soul singer, James Brown, fight fans at the Bell Auditorium will have an opportunity to witness a future star in boxing as former Canadian amateur sensation Mikael Zewski will make his pro debut at TKO Boxing Championship Fight Night.
Guided by award winning manager, Cameron Dunkin, the 20 year old Zewski, a native of Quebec, Canada, leaves the amateur ranks behind towards a pro career that is hotly anticipated.
Said Dunkin, “Mikael is not only a great talent boxing wise, but he has the potential to be one of the biggest attractions in all of boxing. Chet Koerner, the President of TKO Boxing Promotions, Mikael’s promoter, called me from Canada while he was up there and was very excited. He told me how unbelievably popular Mikael is and how he hadn’t seen anything like this for a boxer who wasn’t a world champion.”
“Mikael has a great attitude; he’s a pleasure to be around and to work with. His father and trainer Jean has not only raised a terrific boxer, he’s also raised a respectful young man. He’s extremely popular already and he hasn’t had a pro fight yet.”
Zewski will make his pro debut against South Carolina native Kevin Kibler, 0-0-1, in a four round bout as part of an action packed evening of world class professional boxing headlined by an NABO Flyweight Title bout between Augusta, Georgia’s favorite son Rayonta “THE STINGRAY” Whitfield and San Diego’s Sergio Espinoza.
Zewski’s fight will be broadcast in Canada LIVE on the Super Channel #2 at 9pm.
Also featured on the undercard at TKO Boxing Championship Fight Night are former world title challenger Edner Cherry and outstanding prospects; Melbourne, Florida’s Joseph Elegele, Quebec, Canada’s Pier Olivier Cote, Detroit’s J’Leon Love and Alabama’s Michael Finney.
Advance tickets for the TKO Boxing Championship Fight Night are priced from $27 to $102 (including a $2.00 facility fee) and on sale through the Augusta Entertainment Complex Box Office, (www.georgialinatix.com, by phone at 1-877-4AUGTIX or in person at the Augusta Entertainment Complex Box Office, 601 Seventh Street).
A $5.00 in person box office discount for all military, police and fire personnel along with college students with proper ID is available in all price ranges until February 26th. The Bell Auditorium is located at 712 Telfair Street in Augusta, Georgia; doors on the evening of the event will open at 6:30pm with the first bell at 7:30pm.
THREE BIG FIGHTS INVOLVING MEMBERS OF THE JOE HAND BOXING GYM TO TAKE PLACE THIS WEEKEND
Stewart, Cooley and Jones to be in action this weekend
PHILADELPHIA (FEBRUARY 25TH, 2010)—This weekend, three members of the highly regarded Joe Hand Boxing Gym will have big bouts in three different venues in the Delaware Valley.
First off, on Friday night, former Jr. Welterweight contender, Michael “No Joke” Stewart will take on Brandon Baue at Dover Downs in Dover, Delaware in an eight round Welterweight bout.
Stewart of nearby New Castle, Delaware is looking for one last run as the former USBA Jr. Welterweight champion, has been working very hard at The Joe Hand Boxing Gym and looks re energized under the guidance of trainer’s Danny Davis and Tommy Barnes.
Stewart has a record 44-7-2 with twenty-three wins coming by knockout.
The thirty-two year old is on a two fight winning streak with his previous outing being a six round unanimous decision over Louie Leija on November 7th in Atlantic City.
Just up I-95 on Friday night, Fans at The Arena in Philadelphia, fans will be able to witness the long awaited pro debut of Kareem “Cool Breeze” Cooley in a four round Lightweight bout against Sidell Blocker of Atlantic City.
Cooley, 22 years-old of Southwest Philadelphia was a decorated amateur as he amassed an impressive record of 110-10 before taking a couple years off due to injuries.
He has been back in the gym training real hard under the watchful eye of his grandfather and former pro fighter Roland Cooley and Ron Hammonds.
Cooley is managed my Doc Nowicki and Joe Hand Sr.
Then on Saturday the attention shifts to the boardwalk in Atlantic City where the hottest prospect in America in Welterweight Mike “MJ” Jones steps up to face his toughest test in perennial contender Henry Bruseles of Puerto Rico.
Jones of Philadelphia is on the brink of a significant or world title fight has been the talk of the Philadelphia boxing scene with his dynamic abilities that have catapulted him to a perfect record of 19-0 with sixteen knockouts.
Jones has been named prospect of the year by several publications and with a win over Bruseles he will be looked at as a contender for anyone in Welterweight division. Bruseles has won seven straight fights over a five year span since his last defeat to Floyd Mayweather in 2005.
The bout from Ballys in Atlantic City can be seen nationally on Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports Espanol.
Before heading to training camp in Newtown, PA, Jones is known for his vigorous workouts at The Joe Hand Boxing Gym in Philadelphia.
Jones is trained by Vaughn Jackson, managed by Doc Nowicki and Jim Williams and promoted by Russell Peltz and Joe Hand Sr.
ABOUT THE JOE HAND BOXING GYM
Started by Joe Hand Promotions in 1983, the Joe Hand Boxing Gym has been a community landmark for over 25 years. Joe Hand, Sr., a retired Philadelphia police officer, saw the gym a safe place for Philly’s children and young adults to come and hone their skills in boxing or spend time learning computer skills for their futures.
A world of opportunity is right here, as kids are mentored by educators and athletes, guiding them down what can be a difficult path. The Joe Hand Boxing Gym offers regulation boxing arenas, brand new equipment, and a modern computer center where children from the community can participate in the education process, whether or not they’re interested in learning how to box.