Report/Photos: Boxing Bob Newman
NABF Vice President Joanna Aguilar opened the general session of the 52nd NABF Annual Convention, held at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, at 9:00 this morning with board presentations and an account of ten memorial for those who have been lost in the last year. Aguilar then introduced NABF President Duane Ford.
Ford welcomed delegates and guests to the convention. The first guest speaker Ford introduced was Peter Villegas, president of the California State Athletic Commission.
Peter Villegas came from corporate America (JP Morgan and Coca-Cola) and now chairs one of the most active commissions in the world. Villegas highlighted the number of women present at this convention, as well as their participation in the sport of boxing at all levels, applauding the diversity on display. Villegas is on the board of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY. He is spearheading the movement to commemorate Ali on a US postage stamp and has asked the boxing community for help in making this effort a reality.
Ford then called NABF Vice President and WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman to the lectern. Sulaiman opened with a funny but true story. This was the first time he took a trip and forgot his dress shoes! Sulaiman then got serious and discussed the consequences of making mistakes both in the ring (as a referee) and outside the ring (judges and administrators). At the heart of all this is the safety and well-being of the combatants. Sulaiman stressed the importance of structure, fairness and cooperation in relationships between sanctioning organizations, promoters, commissions and others involved in the sport of boxing.
Embracing change within the sport is something Sulaiman also emphasized. The change from 15 to 12 rounds for championship fights in 1983 was an example of change to improve boxing, but it was resisted at first. A current example of change that is meeting resistance is the WBC’s introduction of the Bridgerweight class. NABF Bridgeweight Champion Alfonso Lopez was present at this convention. One final issue addressed by Sulaiman was boxing’s exclusion from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the irreparable damage this will cause to the sport of boxing.
Joanna Aguilar then introduced world class referee Jack Reiss. Reiss began his career as a professional referee in 1981 and has since refereed over 2,000 professional bouts. For more than 90 minutes, Reiss gave a very detailed and structured talk on the methodologies, theories and philosophies of referee work and a global approach to implementing these methodologies. He implemented the use of various video clips illustrating good and bad examples of refereeing.
After a lunch break, the first speaker was venerable Hall of Fame ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr., who discussed his career and that of his father, Hall of Famer Jimmy Lennon Sr. and education, Lennon, Jr. never sought to follow his famous father into the ropes. Eventually, he received opportunities in small shows and his new career eventually became the hall of fame career it is today. During the following Q&A, almost as many laudatory statements were made about Lennon, Jr. as there were questions asked of him. NABF President Duane Ford explained how Lennon, Jr. has lived up to his “Classy” nickname. Lennon, Jr. had received an offer to announce a show today; On the very day he was scheduled to appear at the NABF convention, he turned down the most lucrative offer to keep his promise to appear at this convention!
CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster delivered his talk titled “What Officials Need to Know.”
Foster’s “gravity rating” figured first and foremost in his method of approving fights in California. Foster also discussed what a top doctor needs to know, their win/loss algorithm and a fighter’s weight. The second half of the conference focused in more detail on the “Boxing Story of Knocked Down Fighters.” Foster analyzed the evolution and importance of the takedown across various sets of rules over the last three hundred years: the Broughton rules, the London prize ring rules, the Marquess of Queensbury rules, the ABC rules, etc. . Once again, social media reared its ugly head as a thorn in the side of boxing commissions and as something ringside officials should stay away from. Ring officials must not discuss upcoming assignments, criticize other ring officials, or post photos of themselves with active boxers.
The congregation then moved to another room, divided into five groups, each with a “Facilitator”, and discussed various topics. The facilitators and their respective topics were as follows:
Referee Thomas Taylor – Pre-fight instructions Judge Chris Migliore – Travel experience Judge David Sutherland – Ring official/supervisor assignments Judge Steve Morrow – NABF code of ethics Judge Tim Cheatham – Preparation and routine
Each roundtable group lasted ten minutes, after which the facilitators moved on to the next group until the cycle was complete. At this time, a panel of Andy Foster, Duane Ford, and Mauricio Sulaiman answered questions that were previously selected from the roundtable groups. A raffle was then held, choosing 5 tickets from a basket, awarding three $25 gift cards and two $50 gift cards to the lucky winners.
The afternoon is free tonight for convention attendees, with a full day scheduled for tomorrow.
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