There are too many organizations; like the hurricane season in South Florida, if the proliferation continues, the ‘organizations’ are going to run out of letters with which to name themselves. What purpose do these organizations serve? They set rules, I know, but who benefits from these so-called rules? They charge outrageous fees to hand out those shiny belts coveted by most professional boxers, they hold extravagant conventions in far away places, they make promises that they know damn well they won't keep and ultimately I ask you, what real purpose do they serve? How do they protect the fighters? How do they go about correcting some of the blatant problems plaguing the sport? Where is the leadership?  

Heads of such organizations have been convicted of serious crimes, and others either are suspected of conducting underhanded, illegal activities or are accused of being in certain promoters' pockets. The rankings system is a disgrace, and most people believe a fighter's ranking can be influenced by under the table money or by exchanging special favors, some of which have been known to be of a sexual nature. It is not unusual to see deceased boxers ranked in high places, while deserving -and live ones- don't even show up on these lists. Actually, more often than not, people who study these rankings end up scratching their heads in disbelief... The only organization that uses a sensible system to rank fighters is the IBO, and most fans don’t even know anything about the organization. Larry Merchant recently demeaned the IBO and his comments were neither fair nor deserved.  

The integrity of the Nevada State Athletic Commission is disintegrating faster than a nose diving meteor. It is becoming harder and harder for the NSAC to uphold the aura of respectability it once held in the sport. Fighters are dying under questionable circumstances, while the solid people who have cared enough to recommend and institute changes to protect the safety of the principal players, the boxers, are being tossed worst than yesterday's salad.  

The conduct of referee Kenny Bayless, who yelled at a hurt and down on one knee Martin Sanchez, "come on, you got to fight, let's go," was very unprofessional, downright repulsive, and for all we know it has gone unpunished. Since when a referee tells a down fighter that he has to fight, let's go? Bayless never gave the kid a count, even though Sanchez was down on one knee. Bayless  failed  to do what his job entails, which is to protect the fighter.  Has he been suspended? Fined? Fired? Anything??? There is no shame in Nevada...

Dr. Jeff Davidson reportedly refused to go and check on a deteriorating Martin Sanchez several times, even when asked by one of the paramedics; he was too busy watching the fights. Moreover, this is not Dr. Davidson's first blunder, either. Do you remember the brutal knockout Jeremy Williams suffered at the hands of Samuel Peter? In the opinion of many experts, Dr. Davidson failed to safeguard Williams' safety following the scary knockout. Dr. Davidson was too busy giving Showtime’s ghoulish Jim Gray an interview, while the injured fighter sat in his stool, unattended and uncared for. The Commission should be very, very glad Jeremy Williams came through that shameful episode unscathed. By the way, we requested an interview with Dr. Davidson through Marc Ratner, and the camera-happy physician never bothered to return our calls. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Dr. Flip Homansky is bounced from the Commission in favor of a man whose merit stems from a reported hefty contribution he made to the governor of Nevada's campaign. How can these things continue to happen without repercussions?

Dr. Flip Homansky was the talk of the town only a few weeks ago, when he proposed -among other things- a 'severity test' to safeguard boxers. He has had an honorable, solid reputation throughout his many years of loyal service with the Nevada Commission. He is a boxing person, someone who understands the sport, who knows the fighters, a man who cares. However, his good deeds and excellent reputation bought him a ticket to ride into the Nevada sunset, as far away from the commission as possible. What is wrong with that picture? 

Dr. Margaret Goodman has been harassed and wrongly discredited by promoters who couldn't come to terms with her concern for the safety of the fighters. Gary Shaw and Bob Arum have been very vocal about not wanting her to work their shows. It brings to mind my phone call to Marc Ratner following the Jeremy Williams incident; when I asked Ratner some basic questions regarding the way Williams was handled following the Peter knockout, he asked me if I was a doctor, to which I replied, 'No sir, but neither are you.'  Why hasn't he asked that question of Shaw and Arum, who have successfully dictated which doctors oversee their cards?  These promoters have flexed their muscles to drive a caring physician with a conscience and unquestionable integrity out of the sport, forcing her to resign as chief ringside physician this past July. Why didn't the troubled commission back Dr. Goodman's quest to have the commission enforce its own medical rules and regulations? Why bother to have rules and regulations if they are not going to be followed and enforced?  What is wrong with that picture? 

Warrior's Boxing is now run by an attorney, Leo Margules, who has been involved in boxing for many years; he, of all people, should know better than to sub-contract a convicted felon and fight fixer, and now suspected snitch, like Mittleman. But my question goes back to my home state's Commission; what, if anything, has been done to ensure that Robert Mittleman and whomever recruited him at Warrior's Boxing suffer consequences for their indiscretion, which could ultimately be considered a misdemeanor in a court of law?  

Last but not least, let’s talk about Vitali Klitschko, the so-called "undisputed" heavyweight champion of the world. Do you remember Lennox Lewis' tenure as undisputed heavyweight champion of the world? Do you remember the harsh criticism Lewis endured? Lennox was never good enough, he never fought the right opponents, he ducked people, he was a disgrace to the sport, he was a weak champion, etc., etc. Those were some of the charges leveled against Mr. Lewis, and if we are to accept any one of them, then what do we say about Vitali Klitschko?  

Let’s recap Vitali's present situation; four postponements against Hasim Rahman: jogging injury, thigh injury, back injury, and now a knee injury. Add the fact that in between these suspicious injuries, he had informed the WBC he was fit to fight other contenders, just not Rahman. Is this behavior worthy of a world champion? Why hasn't Vitali Klitschko been stripped? How many shots do you get at knocking down the piñata? Let's face it, the robotic Klitschko remains the 'great white hope' and his indiscretions are being glossed over, time and time again, much to the discredit of the sport.  Meanwhile, Hasim Rahman continues to train, to waste his time and his effort waiting, hoping and praying that Vitali can stay 'healthy' enough to fight him one of these days.  If Vitali held a regular job, how many times would he have been fired by now?  Not even his 'doctorate' would have kept him employed...

In closing, I ask, why are we, boxing fans, so complacent? I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time we, as fans, take matters into our own hands...