July 11, 2008 – Mexico City.
From WBC President Jose
Sulaiman:
Chad Dawson contacted
the WBC to inform that he will not fight Adrian Diaconu
for the undisputed light heavyweight championship and therefore
is relinquishing the title, even though representatives of both
fighters had participated in a purse offer that was won by the
Romanian promoter Gangkor Promotions.
The WBC feels very
disillusioned with Dawson’s decision, as he was going to make
the highest purse of his career against Diaconu. The WBC has
always supported Dawson since he won the WBC Continental
Americas title in 2003. He later asked for the permission of
the organization not to fight Adrian Diaconu in a final
elimination bout, but to be allowed to directly fight Tomasz
Adamek for the title in a voluntary defense, which the WBC
accepted and Dawson became WBC champion of the world in 2007.
The WBC once again supported Dawson in allowing him to make a
voluntary defense against Glen Johnson, for which Dawson
signed a letter agreeing to fight Diaconu next.
It happens that he found the
way not to fight Diaconu again.
Apparently the reason that
Dawson did not comply with the WBC Rules is because of a
commitment that he has with a television network, which it
seems is interfering with the rights and infrastructure of the
WBC, which must be addressed in the near future.
