The World Boxing Association (WBA) announced this Monday, September 30, the creation of a new region that is part of the organization: WBA-Iberoamerica and WBA-Mediterranean, two new titles that will be directed from Spain, whose mission is the systematic development of boxing and to give an opportunity to the fighters of the area to start their career within the pioneer organization.
The official announcement was made at a press conference held at The Boxer Club gym located in Madrid, whose main spokesman was Pedro Garcia, director of WBA-Iberoamerica and WBA-Mediterranean, who was accompanied by Carlos Chavez, director of the WBA Championships Committee, and Jonathan “Maravilla” Alonso, WBA ambassador.
“We are excited to face a very big challenge, because from the WBA we realized that we needed to provide an opportunity for boxers in the region to enter our circuit early. In Spain and Portugal boxing has been growing and it is much more difficult for athletes to get options to train and have more competitive fights. The same happens in the Mediterranean countries, they are the quarry of great boxers and we felt we had the duty to work closer to them,” said Garcia.
For his part, Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, president of the pioneer organization, showed his satisfaction for the birth of WBA-Iberoamerica and WBA-Mediterranean, because they are born under the premise of developing boxing and supporting athletes which is the main objective of the WBA.
“I want the region to meet the objectives set. We have seen the statistics and we know that we can impact the lives of more than 2,000 active professional boxers, as well as the athletes who have not yet made the leap to professional boxing and the young athletes who train in the gyms. As long as the athlete is our center and reason for being, I am sure we will be successful,” said Mendoza.
In addition to sanctioning bouts for these regional titles, this new organization is responsible for carrying out the WBA-Future Champions program to support the careers of young boxers, WBA KO a las Drogas, the WBA’s social responsibility program, and working with the WBA Academy for training in boxing areas such as, judges and referees. For this particular case, WBA-Iberoamerica and WBA-Mediterranean will have the support of Luis Pabon, who is in charge of monitoring the activity of the officials.
“I want to work hand in hand with the federations and commissions to create seminars, continuing education and identify new officials so that in the future I can direct or judge world title bouts and thus continue with the systematic development of boxing from the area that corresponds to me,” said Pabón.
Equally important will be the work of Alonso, a boxer of great trajectory who was a WBA interim world title challenger. His appointment as ambassador will take him to supervise bouts and the pioneer organization will support him to continue the work he already does in favor of the promotion of boxing such as: supporting young athletes, his motivational talks and the publication of books, such as the one he recently launched entitled One in a Million.
“I am very motivated to return to my home: the World Boxing Association, the organization that has always supported me. That’s why I want to thank its president Gilberto Jesús Mendoza, who continues to lend me his hand so that we can give more strength to my social work. The idea is to tell them that if they work, they can do it, that they should never stop dreaming and that we are here to offer them new opportunities and help them develop. Some will be champions, others judges, others referees, coaches, but the most important thing is that they all become better people,” said Maravilla.
The first WBA-Iberoamerica title will be held on October 5 in Morata de Tajuña, Spain, and will be contested by Spain’s Antonio Collado and Venezuela’s Leonardo Uzcátegui.
