By ALEX P. VIDAL
As one of the only few most prominent towering figures both literally and figuratively that graced the 45th World Boxing Council (WBC) World Boxing Convention at the Manila Hotel from Nov. 11-17, come-backing heavyweight champion Vitaly “Dr. Iron Fist” Klitschko easily got noticed by boxing fans both attending the convention and hotel personnel wherever he went.
As they mobbed him for souvenir shots and autograph signing, the 6 feet and 7 inches behemoth from Ukraine gamely responded with a smile and never showed any sign of irritation or discomfort.
“I love Manila; I love the Philippines,” volunteered the WBC heavyweight king in 2002-2005 when asked of his reaction to the avalanche of requests for autographs and picture-takings.
When he was fitted and awarded a WBC belt as lifetime champion emeritus by President Don Jose Sulaiman Chagnon in the gala night at the Intramuros hosted by the Department of Tourism on Nov. 12, the 36-year-old holder of doctor of philosophy in Sports Science (PhD) at the Kyiv University, vowed to pursue his dreams and that of his younger brother, Wladimir, the current IBF and IBO heavyweight champion, to become world champions together at the same time.
“When I was a young boy, I watched Mike Tyson fight and I told myself that someday I will be like him,” said Klitschko who knocked out 34 of his 35 victims since he began terrorizing his fees in the heavyweight division in 1996.
Originally a professional kickboxer, Vitaly was a boxer and won the Super Heavyweight Championship at the first World Military Games in Italy in 1995. In the same year, he won the silver medal at the 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Berlin, where he was defeated by Russia’s Alexei Lezin in the final. He began his professional boxing career in 1996, winning his first twenty-four fights by either early knockout or technical-knockout (TKO).
He and Wladimir were hot prospects, and signed with the German athlete-promotion company Universum. With both brothers holding Ph.D.s and being multilingual, their charismatic, refined and articulate personalities made for mainstream marketability when they moved to Germany and Universum; in time, they became national celebrities in their adopted home country. In his 25th pro fight, on June 26, 1999, Klitschko won the World Boxing Organization Heavyweight Championship from Herbie Hide (of the UK) via 1st-round KO.
He defended the title twice before losing it on April 1, 2000 to American Chris Byrd; complaining of intense shoulder pain, Vitaly and his corner decided not to continue the fight after the ninth round. Vitaly was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards (89-82, and 88-83 twice), but the way he ended this match brought international criticism, and resulted in a reputation at least partially as a quitter.
Sulaiman Reminders To Ring Official
World Boxing Council (WBC) president Don Jose Sulaiman Chagnon has reminded ring officials—referees and judges—to observe the ring officials code of ethics adopted by the WBC or be removed from the list of certified WBC ring officials “and will receive no further assignments from the WBC.”
In his message during the 45th convention at the Manila Hotel before the start of seminar for WBC ring officials supervised by Hawaai’s Hubert Minn, Sulaiman informed ring officials from the United States, Africa, Asia and Europe that he “counts on the fact that your performance will be exemplary, and you will proudly represent our organization.”
Sulaiman also introduced four guides for ring officials: 1. Sudoka Puzzles, which are an excellent tool to improve concentration; 2. Pocket reminders, which are used to remind the scoring criteria that have been the norm in world boxing, and which have been standardized among all the WBC ring officials, searching for justice and equity when scoring a fight; 3. Self evaluation form to fill out and send to either the fight supervisor or the WBC executive secretary; and 4. Code of ethics.
The WBC president exhorted ring officials to strictly observe the following:
1. No ring official shall in any manner hint or directly solicit any promoter, manager, trainer, fighter or commission to be appointed as a ring official in any WBC title fight;
2. No ring official shall hint or directly solicit any WBC officer or member of the WBC Board of Governor to be appointed as a ring official in any WBC title fight;
3. No ring official shall accept any gift of significant monetary value from any promoter, manager, trainer, fighter or solicit from any promoter, manager, trainer or fighter anything of significant monetary value;
4. No ring official shall in any manner publicly criticize the performance of any other ring official;
5. No ring official shall in any manner publicly criticize the performance of any boxer that contended for a WBC title fight;
6. No ring official shall in any manner publicly criticize the appointment of any other ring official for a WBC title fight;
7. No ring official shall represent or attempt to represent the WBC in any manner other than as a ring official;
8. After an appointment to serve as a ring official in a WBC title fight, no ring official shall prior to the fight have any contact, social or otherwise, with any promoter, manager, trainer or fighter involved in the title fight other than contacts made with the promoter or promoter’s employees relating to travel and hotel accommodations, except when accompanied by the WBC supervisor;
9. No ring official shall engage in any conduct that will discredit the WBC or any other ring official;
10. In the event that any ring official is contacted by a representative of the WBC to serve as a ring official in a WBC title fight and such ring official has even the slightest reason to feel or believe that he or she can not be totally fair and impartial to both fighters, the ring official shall decline the appointment;
11. On WBC sanctioned events, no ring official shall solicit tickets or credentials to the local commission where the fight will take place, nor to promoters, fighters, managers or trainers; and
No ring official who is appointed for a WBC title can be seen in public places after midnight, gambling or drinking at any time. /MP
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