WBA (The Cast of 1978)

WBA (The World Boxing Association)

Headquarters; Panama City, Panama

Also known as; 'The Fraternal Club for Latin Americans'

The Cast of Players in 1978

President; Fernando Mandry Galindez (Venezuela)
Executive; Dr. Elias Cordova (Panama)
Executive; Rodrigo Sanchez (Panama)
Executive; York Van Dixon (United States)
Executive Secretary; Bill Miller (United States)
Championship Committee; Mike Mortimer (South Africa)
Caribbean Representative; Richard Farah (Trinidad and Tobago)
Grievance and Appeals Chairman; Ron Hayter (Canada)

 

What I can remember,,,,,,,

The WBA controlled the Junior Divisions through their Panama-based offices.

It was a pay-for-play time at the WBA,,,,,,as they were notorious for installing
fighters with 'sketchy talent' into the Top of the Rankings, to insure Title Bouts for the
connected boxing managers.

Eddie Gazo was the 'poster boy' for the WBA in 1977, and almost made it past
Masashi Kudo in 1978.

And don't forget the South African contingent,,,,,,,,,,the WBA moved the 'infamous
Gert Steyn above Ayub Kalule in 1979, while trying to get him a WBA Light-Middleweight
Title shot before the more deserving and mandatory challenger in Ayub Kalule.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Bought you a Top Ranking in the WBA.

 

Gracias,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,SaintPat

The WBA,,,,,,,,famous for;

* blatantly sanctioning ridiculous Title fights
* clogging the ratings with fighters who are ranked higher than they should be
* accepted payment from fight managers and promoters to slide selected fighters into top rating positions
* the going rate to get a WBA Champion from a 'junior division' to accept a title fight $80,000 to $110,000
* it was $150,000 for the 'bigger names' (ie; Ernesto Espana and Samuel Serrano)

* the WBA vioulated their own 'mandatory defense rule', in which a Champion must make a mandatory defense
against the Top-Rated contender, once every 6-months

 

WBA,,,,,,,,

January 1977

The Panama-based association has to fill the vacant WBA Featherweight Championship.

The Great, Alexis Arguello vacated the title in July of 1976.

In January 1977,,,,,,,,,the #1 WBA Featherweight, Rafael Ortega 19-2-5 (6 KO's) emerges
as the Top Contender. Being from Panama doesn't hurt either.

To make the Nicaraguan contingent happy, a fighter from that country is 'gifted' a
high-ranking, as a courtesy for Alexis Arguello who was from Nicaragua.

The #2 WBA Featherweight,,,,,,,,,Francisco 'Toro' Coronado 14-9-0 (9 KO's),,a
mediocre fighter at best, and who at one time was 8-9-0. His 6-bout winning streak,
was a result of beating Class 'B' Level fighters.

To make sure that Rafael Ortega (Panama) won the WBA Featerweight Championship, the
WBA installed a mediocre fighter in the #2 slot, to fight for the vacant crown in,
you guessed it, Panama.

Nothing like guaranteeing a win,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Of course, Rafael Ortega slapped his way to a Unanimous Decision, but he was far
from impressive, in decisioning a Class 'B' level fighter.

This performance lead many to believe, that the WBA was 'playing with the rankings'.

Scorecards;
146-143 (7-4-4 in Rounds),,,,Rafael Ortega
146-143 (7-4-4 in Rounds),,,,Rafael Ortega
144-143 (7-6-2 in Rounds),,,,Rafael Ortega

 

Lets not discount the way Antonio 'Kid Pambele' Cervantes was allowed to fight
pathetically weak opponents in 1977/1978/1979,,,,,,,,,

After Wilfed Benitez was stripped of the WBA Light-Welterweight Title for failing to
give 'Kid Pambele' a deserved re-match,,,,,,,,

The WBA then bends over backwards to allow another Latin American fighter with
connections (Columbia contingent) to have several so-called 'walk-through-the-park' Title defenses.

June 25, 1977.......#1 WBA 'Kid Pamble' stops (TKO 6, by a cut-eye) #2 Carlos Maria Giminez 98-7-4 (54 KO's) to win the
vacant WBA Light-Welterweight Championship, in comfortable Venezuela.

Note: Kid Pambele had Knocked-out (KO 5) Carlos Maria Giminez (Argentina) 3 1/2 -years earlier in a September 1973 Title Defense.
No real knock on Giminez, who was a pretty good Light-Welterweight. Since the loss to Cervantes in 1973,
Giminez had gone 25-4-0 (17 KO's), with losses to Adriano 'Nani' Marrero, and (3-times) to Hector Thompson.
Maybe the #2 WBA-ranking was a bit too high, but he was a professional fighter with good skills.

Kid Pambele dominates from the out-set, and badly cuts the eye of Giminez in Round 4.
Giminez cannot answer the bell for Round 6.
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November 5, 1977,,,,,,,* 'Kid Pambele' wins an 'easy decision' (W Dec 15) over #8 Adriano 'Nani' Marrero 24-8-2 (3 KO's).

Note: 'Nani' Marrero (Dominican Republic), a 'slick-boxer', but one who cannot 'break an egg', enters in as
a Title contender, despite only going 3-3-0 in his previous 6-bouts. The 'consequential',,,,,,, 'safe opponent'.
'Nani', in his previous bouts has lost to Josua Marquez, and a non-title bout to Antonio Cervantes (8-months earlier)
in March 1977, where 'Nani' performed well despite losing (L Dec 10). 'Nani' had also split 2-bouts with
'fringe contender' Saoul Mamby. His only decent win, a close 10-Round (W Dec 10) over Carlos Maria Giminez in July 1976.

Kid Pambele wins easily over 'Nani' in Venezuela.

Ring Magazine scores it 148-140 (10-2-3 in Rounds).
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August 26, 1978,,,,,,,,* Kid Pamblele blasts-out Norman Sekgapane 51-6-2

January 18, 1979,,,,,,,* Kid Pambele has to work hard, in defeating Miguel Montilla 28-3-3.

August 25, 1979,,,,,,,,* Kid Pambele has to go the distance (W Dec 15) in defeating Kwang-Min Kim 15-0-1.

March 29, 1980,,,,,,,* Kid Pambele, again defeats Miguel Montiila 33-4-3.

 

Antoni 'Kid Pambele' Cervantes,,,,,,,

The WBA in 1978,,,,,,, The Gift that keeps on Giving'

April 28, 1978,,,,,,,,,

32 year-old Antonio Cervantes, with a record of 82-10-3, makes the 'second defense' of his 'second run' of
the WBA Light-Welterweight Championship. It has been, over 5-Months since his last bout, an
'optional defense of the crown' against 'safe opponent' Adriano 'Nani' Marrero.
Kid Pambele now makes a WBA 'mandatory defense'.

His opponent, a southpaw from Thailand named, Tongta Kiatayupakdi 27-1-0 (16 KO's),
the #1 WBA-ranked Light-Welterweight. The only 'name' opponent on Tongta's boxing record is
American Jimmy Heair, in which Tongta won an easy and impressive Decision (W Dec 10) over, back in May 1976.

Just what has Tongta done to deserve the #1 WBA Light-Welterweight ranking,,,,,,,,,
* April 1977 he defeats (W Dec 10) one 'Wongso Suseno'
* July 1977 he defeats (KO 5) one 'Chung-Moon Chin',,,,,,a fighter that Knocked-out Tongta in 1976.
* August 1977 he defeats (W Dec 10) one 'Blinky Rominski'

'You can't make these names up.'

Tongta Kiatayupakdi has not fought in 8-Months,,,, entering his Championship bout with Kid Pambele.

The 'skinny on this bout' is that the Thai Promoters gave Kid Pambele a $200,000 fight purse to come
to Thailand to take on the over-rated Tongta Kiatayupakdi.

In a 'one-sided bout', Antonio Cervantes pummels the over-matched #1 WBA-ranked Tongta from the outset,
and stops him by a Knock-out (KO 6).

 

Argentinian,,,,,,,,,,Carlos Maria Giminez,,,,,,,,

In June 1977, Antonio Cervantes won by TKO 6, when Giminez could not come out for the
6th Round, a result of a bad eye-cut.

Antonio Cervantes also defeated Giminez back in September 1973 by KO 5, when he
was defending his WBA Light-Welterweight Championship.

 

The formation of '2' sanctioning boxing associations was actually a good thing for the sport of boxing.

Though they did have a tendency to 'dilute' the championships, but it opened the door
for more activity, especially in the 'junior divisions'.

For instance, Saensak Muangsurin, the WBC Light-Welterweight,,,,,,a wonderful fighter from Thailand.

He would have never had the opportunity to fight Antonio Cervantes or Wilfred Benitez,
as neither of them would have travelled to fight him in Southeast Asia,,,,,,,,,

And with only 2-bouts under his belt,,,,,,,,the Panama-based WBA would have
never sanctioned him in a 'title fight', unless his promoters came up with Super $$$$.