The wave of reform currently stirring the boxing world may not save the sport, but it might save Julio Cesar Chavez from himself.
The legendary Mexican fighter, 10 years removed from his prime and four years after last losing a world title, was nonetheless recently elevated to the role of number one contender at light welterweight by the World Boxing Council (WBC). This logic-defying promotion in turn made Chavez the mandatory challenger for the organisation's Russian-born champion, Kostya Tszyu. One state - Nevada - has already refused to sanction the patent mismatch, and, spearheaded by failed presidential candidate but leading boxing reformer Senator John McCain, it appears that Arizona may be next to give it the boot.
The sport's three major sanctioning bodies (the WBC, the World Boxing Association and the International Boxing Federation), along with their junior cousin, the World Boxing Organisation, have come under blistering fire in recent months. The IBF is being administered by a court-appointed federal overseer while its founder and president, Robert Lee, stands trial for allegedly having accepted $338,000 in bribes to rig its rankings.
The credibility of the sport was dealt another blow in April when champion Lennox Lewis almost simultaneously defended his "undisputed" heavyweight title and was stripped of one-third of it, the result of bad legal advice which had led him to sign a contract forcing the move. Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz will battle in Las Vegas next Saturday night for the WBA crown recently removed from Lewis' head.
The scrutiny thus engendered has created a climate ripe for reform. Both Houses of Congress recently passed Senator McCain's Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act - a measure which had twice been approved only to die on the vine, the victim of partisan bickering. This time the new law awaits only the signature of President Clinton, which is considered a formality.
And two months ago a group of reform-minded boxing journalists announced the establishment of a new and independent ranking body. The monthly Boxing Writers Poll, conducted over the Internet (boxingranks.com) will, we hope, offer a more unbiased appraisal, but its success or failure will depend largely on how it is perceived, both by the public and by the boxing community.
Thus far the results are encouraging. A consortium of state Attorneys General involved in a boxing task force has endorsed the poll. Home Box Office, the major US television outlet for boxing, has promised to use the ratings as a prime resource. The poll is intended only as an unbiased measure of relative merit in each weight class. It will not be recognising champions or handing out belts - there are already upwards of 100 boxers claiming to be world "champions", and the last thing the fistic world needs is 17 more.
In both the inaugural poll, unveiled in May, and the new rankings, which will be issued this morning, Tszyu, now domiciled in Australia, was rated the world's best at 140lb. Chavez, who will turn 38 next month, did not merit top 10 consideration on either occasion.
A decade ago Chavez's claim to being the world's best pound-for-pound boxer rested on solid ground, but the years have taken their toll. He last lost his title when he was beaten to a bloody pulp by Oscar De La Hoya four years ago, and failed to regain it in two subsequent championship bouts - one against compatriot Miguel Angel Gonzalez and again in a rematch, at 147lb, with De La Hoya.
Last October Chavez, who had been manoeuvred back into contention by the WBC, lost decisively to journeyman Willy Wise. Many experts counselled retirement, but WBC president Jose Sulaiman intervened on behalf of his countryman, promising that Chavez would be restored to the number one spot if he won another fight.
In December Chavez was duly matched against another middling journeyman, this one named Buck Smith, whom he dispatched inside three rounds. Although he has not fought since, he was vaulted to the top of the WBC rankings, and a few weeks ago the Tszyu-Chavez title fight was announced for July 15th in Las Vegas. Criticised by Nevada commissioners as a preposterous mismatch, the proposed bout was withdrawn from a commission agenda before it even came up for discussion, and rescheduled in Phoenix, Arizona, for July 29th.
AS the Nevada Commission pointed out, Chavez's ranking defies all credibility. Besides his questionable results, the boxer hasn't had a fight inside the 140lb limit in over two years.
Arizona seemed prepared to approve the Tszyu-Chavez title fight before McCain weighed in this week. In a letter dispatched to Governor Jane Hull on Tuesday, McCain described the fight as an "illegitimate and potentially dangerous mismatch". "I believe this proposed bout raises many serious questions which I hope Arizona Boxing Commission members, as did the members of the Nevada Athletic Commission, will carefully reflect upon," wrote Senator McCain.
Chavez is scheduled to undergo a physical examination in Phoenix this week, after which the Arizona State Boxing Commission will decide whether to approve the bout. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania commissioner Greg Sirb, in his role as president of the US Association of Boxing Commissions, has demanded that Sulaiman explain Chavez's elevation to the number one ranking.
Chavez's record is 102-4-2, but his life outside the ring has become a shambles. He has undergone an unseemly public divorce and custody battle with his ex-wife, and has been hounded by the Mexican government over tax evasion charges. In 1998 alone, Chavez faced 30 separate lawsuits, including cases involving a Mexican cab driver, a restaurant worker, and the son of his cook, all of whom accused the former world champion of hitting them.
"At times, I've wanted to end my life, leave all this, but I never did it because of my kids," Chavez admitted to a Mexican television network. "I'm not happy. There are so many things I could not achieve in life. I'm only asking that they give me one last opportunity." Two years ago he would have gotten that opportunity. If he is denied one now, it will only be because reason has prevailed.
