How bad must AIBA (the International Amateur Boxing Association... you know, the crooks who have run Olympic boxing into the ground) be if it has to use the WBA to improve its image? Here is the statement released by the WBA on its new cooperative venture with AIBA: During the 99th Convention of the World Boxing Association, the WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza had a short meeting with Mr. Muhamed Moustahsane, the current President AIBA. “We are working on a formal agreement between the WBA and the AIBA to achieve a systematic development that includes both competition and ethics. We are on our way to join our criteria to work for only one boxing. We want to raise boxing to the high status it belongs. This way we can make our committee and team official. We will work together for the future. We will make a boxing rule book that will be published in the future,” Mendoza said.

 

Immediately, the President of AIBA, Moustahsane, reaffirmed: “Since 2015, we have had many conversations and now it’s time to build something great for boxing. For me, and many others, athletes are the most important. I share this ideal of creating a relationship among us. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to talk. We must establish a fair and ethical relationship. The development must include medical features, referees, judges and proper official management of this sport. We must ensure that boxers are indeed the ones who benefit from this relationship.” And this is how a new beginning was formally announced during the celebration of the 99 years of the WBA to work for the future in the amateur division.