WBC 3rd Women’s Convention Day 2

By Tracy Morin
Photos: Alma Montiel

On Saturday, the WBC officially opened its convention at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila. At the morning session, the Opening Ceremony started with the customary Parade of Colors, featuring flags representing attendees’ origins from around the world (500 delegates from 17 countries), followed by the Philippine national anthem performed by a talented troupe of young local children.

After a brief video on the history of professional boxing in the Philippines, Abraham Kahlil B. Mitra, chairman of the nation’s Games and Amusements Board (GAB), voiced his hopes that women’s boxing would gain traction in Asia—ideally bolstered by the presence of this year’s convention in Manila. Distinguished guests from the government also chimed in to discuss their love of boxing and how it reflects the struggles and resilience of Filipino culture itself.

Indeed, the theme of the day was inspiration. From the female boxers in attendance working for equality and legitimacy to the video celebrating the iconic life of former WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman Chagnon, speakers celebrated overcoming adversity in all forms. The other theme was unity; as attendees from so many cultures and backgrounds were united in Manila to move forward the sport of boxing, the children’s choir fittingly returned to the stage for a heartfelt rendition of “We Are the World.”

Speeches from WBC executives only reinforced these themes. International secretary, international chair of WBC Cares and co-chairman of the Women’s Championship Committee Jill Diamond spoke of her initial entrance into the organization, initiated from an off-the-cuff email about women’s boxing that reached Jose Sulaiman and changed her life path. Malte Muller-Michaelis followed with a keynote speech on the inspiration inherent in female boxing and the need for equality; despite much progress in recent years, he believes there’s still a long way to go toward improvement.

But, to demonstrate the strides made—as well as the hard-fighting spirits of these athletes—two videos showed highlights from the WBC’s past female-focused conventions and clips of some of the best action from female fights in 2018. (The WBC has sanctioned more than 60 women’s championship bouts this year alone.) And, with recent concerns over AIBA and boxing being threatened of removal from Olympic competition, a petition will circulate around this convention to keep the sport safe and active at the Olympic level—a key factor in shaping the next generation of professional superstars.

Following an inspirational message from WBC Cares chairperson Christiane Manzur and a video message from her husband, Mauricio Sulaiman, Mitra and Manzur declared the official opening of the summit. Some of the female champs themselves then took the stage to discuss progress, challenges and desire for evolution. Jelena Mrdjenovich and Alicia Ashley, now veterans of the sport, tackled their unique struggles as trailblazers and boundary-busters, while the always-effervescent Melissa St. Vil spoke as a survivor, pointing out how boxing changed her life after abuse and bullying.

Mitra then outlined the objectives and achievements of the GAB. Designed to raise the integrity of all sports in the Philippines, the organization has made significant strides in boxing: providing free medical exams for professional competitors; signing agreements with Japan and Thailand to ensure the safety of traveling boxers; offering retired champions a monthly stipend, and a relief fund when injuries occur to active fighters; boxing gym inspections; and an active Facebook page to publish score sheets, ring officials assignments and monthly ratings (in fact, this WBC convention will be streaming on its page).

Just before lunch, the female boxers in attendance, including Mia St. John, posed for a group pic, and participants in the six fights taking place tomorrow in Manila weighed in, after which a traditional dance performance entertained guests on the main stage.
The afternoon session was dominated by a thought-provoking panel that tackled female participation in all levels of the sport: Cynthia Conte (media), Sulem Urbina and Raja Amasheh (fighters), and Blanca Gutierrez (gym owner and leader of Beautiful Brawlers, an international amateur team). Each told their incredible journeys of fighting the odds—not only as females in a male-dominated sport, but as people overcoming obstacles from all angles. Urbina, in a heart-wrenching speech, spoke of losing her younger brother, also a boxer and then only 17 years old, to a senseless crime, provoking tears of compassion from the audience.

The panel also included Diamond, Muller-Michaelis and Mo Noor, executive secretary of WBC Cares, who questioned how they could help accelerate women’s boxing. The ensuing discussions focused on important topics like two-minute vs. three-minute rounds; ordering mandatory fights; increasing the pay scale for female fights, perhaps via minimum purses; drug testing and combat safety; and the cross-pollination of fighters from boxing to MMA and vice versa.

Finally, the daytime sessions wrapped up with a presentation from the WBC Asian Boxing Council, with Mitra and WBC Asia secretary general Patrick Kusick hosting an informal discussion of the thriving (and still growing) Asian boxing scene. Kusick pointed to the increase of heavier-weight contenders in China, the rising importance of Eurasia, and the emergence of countries like Indonesia, Taiwan and Malaysia. Challenges—such as fighter safety, proper officials training and avoiding mismatches—were also discussed. Ultimately, the pair look forward to a bigger future emphasis on Asian fighters, and hope that will trickle down to females as well. Cusick added that the female category in Asia has been on a surge in just the last six months, and believes the trend will continue.

At night, a gala awards dinner celebrated individuals in all corners of the sport, from the female champs in attendance and WBC executives to officials and Filipino champs past and present. Eduard B. Trinidad, commissioner for operations of the GAB, welcomed attendees, followed by awards from the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation and the Asian Boxing Council.

The WBC then presented the following awards for women’s boxing:

Champion of the Year: JelenaMrdjenovich
Fight of the Year: Fabiana Bytyqi (vs. Denise Castle)
Comeback of the Year: Raja Amasheh
Revelation of the Year: Franchon Crews Dezurn
Prospect of the Year: Sulem Urbina
Heart Award: Kenia Enriquez

The WBC workhorse of the year was awarded to Paulina Brindis; trainer of the year went to Dominik Junge; and ring official of the year was Bobby Bridger, who donates all fight fees to help the elderly. The WBC Cares Award was givent to Ikram Kerwat, while an appreciation award was bestowed upon the GAB, accepted by Mitra.

The night continued with awards for former and current Filipino world champions, Muay Thai executives, Filipino regional champions, former GAB chairmen, and great deceased fighters from decades past. Meanwhile, the GAB awarded officials, Muller-Michaelis, Diamond, Mauricio Sulaiman, the Asian Boxing Federation, and WBC referee Bruce McTavish, among others. After closing remarks from Mitra, guests were treated to a dance presentation—then themselves danced the night away to music and drinks until the late-night hours.

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