Some of the distinguished boxers attending the 96th Annual Convention of the World Boxing Association (WBA) have already arrived to the Antioquia’s capital. This Convention will be held until November 2nd. Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Márquez, Jorge Linares, “el chino” (the Chinese) Maidana, and Miguel “Happy” Lora, are some of the boxers attending to the Convention.
The American boxer Hopkins compiled 20 defenses during his professional career, which remains a divisional record. He also was the former light heavyweight champion after defeating Jean Pascal, becoming the oldest champion of the boxing history at 46 years old, beating George Foreman who had achieved it at 45 years old.
Hopkins is a boxer who has held the titles of the 4 major boxing organizations (WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF) at the same time by defending them in the same bout. With more than 60 professional fights, he achieved 55 wins.
Meanwhile, the Mexican Juan Manuel “Dinamita” (Dynamite) Márquez, won 56 bouts in his professional career and 40 of them by knockout. He is currently one of the boxers that is usually invited to the ESPN panel of experts. He said: “People consider we are among the best, because we are always training, preparing and giving everything to achieve success.” He also said that the WBA President, Gilberto Mendoza, “is looking to help amateur boxing and looking to support professional boxing with one in one single division, and the WBA is carrying out this initiative in a perfect manner.”
The Venezuelan boxer Jorge Linares currently holds the WBA lightweight title, and upon his arrival to the hotel he said: “We are trying to have more world champions not only in Venezuela”, and he advised young people the following: “The most important thing is education, do not leave school.”
Miguel Lora, one of the most remembered boxers in Colombia, is happy to arrive to the Convention in Medellin, and he considers that the presence of the WBA Presidential Office in Colombia bestow prestige on the Colombian boxing.
On his behalf, the Argentine boxer Maidana has hold the WBA super lightweight title and the WBA welterweight title. All of them have arrived to the Dann Carlton Hotel, where meetings and committees of the regions that make up the World Boxing Association are held.
