WBO reiterates policy to encourage World Cup events and title unifications!

The WBO is very excited to sanction the first World Cup Event to be held at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Arizona on October 29, 2005. Four WBO World Championships between Champions and Number #1 Contenders from Mexico and Thailand will be contested. The winning country will hold the World Boxing Cup until the next World Cup WBO 108 lb.World Champion Hugo Cazares of Mexico will meet #1WBO Contender and WBO Asia Pacific Champion Kaichon Sor Vorapin of Thailand. WBO 115 lb.World Champion Fernando Montiel of Mexico will meet #1WBO Contender and WBO Asia Pacific Champion Pramuansak Phosawan of Thailand. WBO 118 lb.World Champion Ratanachai Sor Vorapin of Thailand will meet #1 WBO Contender and NABO Champion Jhonny Gonzalez of Mexico. WBO Asia Pacific Champion and WBO #1Contender Sod Looknongyangtoy of Thailand will meet # WBO Contender Daniel Ponce de Leon of Mexico for the vacant WBO 122 lb. Champion.

The World Boxing Organization has expressed policy in the WBO World Championship Rules to encouraged and facilitate the Unification of World Titles. "The World Boxing Organization's Regulations of World Championship Contests are intended to reconcile the interests of all necessary elements of World Championship Boxing in a manner that is in the best interests of the sport. The most important interests are those of the Championship contestants themselves and their worldwide fans. World Championship boxing in the Twenty First Century has become a global sport.**** It is the policy of the World Boxing Organization to encourage its Champions to pursue recognized status as undisputed World Champions and to unify the Championships of the four major world sanctioning organizations (the WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF). A World Champion who has achieved preeminent status may require and be entitled to additional scheduling flexibility to achieve his place in boxing history and for the good of the sport."

The WBO Rules implement that policy by providing that a Unification Bout or Participation in a Unification Tournament can be categorized as a mandatory bout. Recognizing that the Unified Champion must pay multiple Sanctioning Fees and the aggregate burden can be deterrence to Championship unification, the WBO Rules provides that a Unified Champion only pays one-half of the scheduled WBO Sanction Fee. Accordingly, we are very gratified that the WBC has announced it has also adopted a policy to encourage Title Unifications through a quadrennial World Cup format Unification Tournament. The WBO joins the WBC in this initiative, and urges the WBA and the IBF to join us in this process.

The WBO also encourages all Sanctioning Bodies to unilaterally adopt policies to and rules to encourage World Title Unifications and to reasonably cooperate to accommodate the Unification Process.