Amir Khan has officially been granted ‘Super Champion’ status by the World Boxing Association and has been handed their “enhanced” version of their regular WBA belt.
Khan lost to Lamont Peterson by way of a split decision in December last year but the Bolton fighter kicked up a stir when it was revealed a man dressed in black was sat ringside with judge and WBA supervisor, Michael Welsh. This man came to be revealed as Mustafa Ameen, who had initially been thought of as an IBF employee but since has been confirmed to help boxers in need of financial assistance. Ameen stated that Welsh made a couple of errors on his scorecard and was only there to notify him to correct them.
A rematch has been set between former champion Khan and Peterson for May 19th in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay but with Khan being granted ‘Super Champion’ status, I feel a lot of the shine has now been taken off their upcoming bout! Just over two weeks ago, Dereck Chisora and David Haye clashed in a violent brawl that happened shortly after Chisora’s challenge to WBC champion Vitali Klitschko in Germany. Chisora is awaiting a hearing by the British Boxing Board of Control, set this month while Haye is looking to receive very little punishment as he no longer holds a boxing license due to his announced retirement last November. Fans blasted the two fighters, especially Chisora for their behaviour. Outcries that boxing had been tarnished once again were heard loud and clear.
But this writer begs to differ. What really hurts the sport is all the current garbage politics! The point of boxing is for fighters to motivate themselves in an attempt to become the best in their division by winning world championship titles, beating the best fighters they possibly can and earning the respect of the public. But where is the respect, and what is the point of boxing exactly when fighters are granted belts in the face of defeat? People like Mike Tyson and Dereck Chisora may well be controversial figures, but at least they evidently boost the popularity of boxing! Amir Khan being promoted by a world championship boxing organisation after a controversial defeat is a decision that will not earn the respect of the people and it surely cannot possibly motivate the boxer, or any boxer for that matter, to stay “hungry” to achieve success all on their own if they are given big breaks such as this.
The WBA have come under fire in the past for various controversies including bribes by promoters to gain ranking positions. The invention of their ‘Super’ WBA title only seeked to further the controversy. Their initial condition was that a boxer would need to unify at least two recognised world titles, but it seems that rule has been discarded. Fighters such as Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito have been elevated to ‘Super Champion’ status without unifying two titles. The same happened to Chris John in 2009. The WBA claimed that their decision to elevate John to ‘Super Champion’ was because he successfully managed ten title defenses. So, it seems that the organisation make up the rules as they go along! Sanctioning fees have been speculated to be the reason, and this probably isn’t far off from the truth. Afterall, it seems that money takes precedent over what the fans desire today. Gone are the years when the likes of Joe Louis had one title to defend and caused no confusion amongst the public. Now, championship belts are manufactured, not because these organisations are doing it in the best interests of the fighters. They are manufacturing them in the interests of themselves!
Khan vs Peterson II will go ahead but I now have to ask. What is the point?
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