Arizona's Republican Senator John McCain has wasted no time in highlighting the need for enforcement of his federal boxing legislation, based on -among other things- the scandalous rankings recently released by the WBA.

In a letter issued Friday to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, McCain addressed a controversy surrounding heavyweight Kirk Johnson, who after being disqualified in his July 27 fight against John Ruiz, fell from #1 challenger to #5. Johnson appealed the disqualification, and must have tripped on some invisible object, because after being denied the appeal he fell from #5 to #10. Contrary to McCain's legislation, the Venezuela-based WBA has provided no explanation for Johnson's precipitous fall.

Senator McCain has joined a growing crowd that is trying to make the various organizations get in line, or perhaps disappear altogether. "Since its passage in 1996, the PBSA (Professional Boxing Safety Act) has not been adequately enforced," McCain said in his letter to Ashcroft. "Many unscrupulous participants in the professional boxing industry are aware of the lack of enforcement and ignore the law's requirements. As a result, young boxers are often exploited."

Keeping it real, and in what may prove to be the smartest move yet, Senator McCain's political pressure might align itself with the only real ruler in the sport of boxing - MONEY.

The California State Athletic Commission has withheld a WBA sanctioning fee, (approximately $10,000) for the Eric Morel - Denkaosaen Kaowitchit in Anaheim, California, pending an explanation of the organization's actions.

The WBC, no stranger to controversy and accusations of wrongdoing, was hit with a $30 million judgment by a New York City federal jury for stripping Graciano "Rocky" Rocchigiani of the light heavyweight title. Although the WBC is based in Mexico City, most of its fees come through business conducted in the United States, where Senator McClain might be waiting, with laced gloves, ready to rumble.

10-15-2002

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