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(OCT 15) On Oct. 13, 2004, WBAN received a press release from Jimmy
Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc., who wrote on behalf of
featherweight Missy "The Fury" Fiorentino, who has officially petitioned the
Women's International Boxing Association to declare the September 18 title
fight between challenger Fiorentino and champion Emiko Raika a "no contest"
and mandate a rematch. WIBA's Ryan Wissow responded to that
Petition.
PROVIDENCE, Rhode
Island (October 13, 2004) – Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment &
Sports, Inc., on behalf of featherweight Missy "The Fury" Fiorentino, has
officially petitioned the Women's International Boxing Association to
declare the September 18 title fight between challenger Fiorentino and
champion Emiko Raika a "no contest" and mandate a rematch.
Wissow: == I cannot and will not change the result of this fight.==
Raika (12-1-1, 5 KOs) was awarded a unanimous 10-round decision in her
title fight against Fiorentino in Kyoto.
In its written petition CES listed multiple WIBA rule violations: Raika
drank a pink substance between rounds (only water is allowed),
Wissow:==the videotape shows Raika drinking something out of a bottle
that appeared pink. it may have been a sports drink, or it may have been
water that the lights or the bottle itself made look pink. We don't have
access to that bottle or its contents so it's pretty much speculation at
this point.==
scorecards were not used (nor was the actual scoring announced),
Wissow:==scorecards were used, they just didn't let me sit where the
scores were collected.==
neither fighter took a urinalysis test after the match.
Wissow:==this part is true, the local commission did not take a drug test
after the fight, and they should have.==
CES also accused Raika of repeated intentional head butts
Wissow:==I have the fight on tape. there were NO intentional head butts
that I could see. I did however see Missy eat plenty of right hands and
uppercuts that swelled her eyes shut.==
and the WIBA official of not attending the rules meeting,
not understanding Japanese,
Wissow:==are they serious?==
and sitting where he could not view what was happening in the ring.
Wissow:==I sat where they had me sit.==
The deck was stacked against Fiorentino from the very start. After
flying from Boston to Chicago and then 13 hours to Japan, she found out that
arrangements had not been made for her to train in a gym.
Wissow:==those arrangements have to be made by Fiorentino and the
Japanese. I have nothing to do with this.==
The morning of the fight Team Fiorentino had to take an eight-hour bus
ride from the hotel to the Kyoto venue
Wissow:==ALL the fighters had to take a bus from Tokyo to Kyoto THE DAY
BEFORE THE FIGHT. We did however drive back to Tokyo to Kyoto thru most of
the night, right after the Kyoto event's conclusion.==
and was forced to report at 11 am for her fight that didn't start until 5
pm.
Wissow:==the hotel's check out was at 11 am. Nobody was forced to report
anywhere.==
"The whole trip was terrible," she explained. "I had to workout three
days in a small park. We had to take an eight-hour bus ride (to Kyoto) the
morning of the fight
Wissow:==bullshit. the bus ride was the night before.
I repeat, THERE WAS NO 8 HOUR BUS RIDE THE MORNING OF THE FIGHT. this is a
lie.==
and after that sit there (fight venue) six hours before my fight."
Wissow:==they didn't have to sit at the venue, they were free to go
anywhere they wanted as long as they were back at the venue a few hours
before the fights started.==
Through the first four rounds, reportedly, on numerous occasions Raika
intentionally head-butted Missy (9-1, 6 KOs), who suffered a cut above her
eye in the second round.
Wissow:==I repeat, I did not see ANY intentional head butts. They banged
heads a few times, but nothing that I saw as intentional.==
The referee gave Raika many warnings, but never penalized her a single
point.
Wissow:==the ref warned both Raika and Missy to watch their heads, never
just Raika.==
"In the third round I hit her with a left to the body and she fell right
down," Missy noted. "The ref ruled it a slip.
Wissow:==Missy landed a punch and Raika went down but the ref ruled it a
slip. I cannot and will not override the decisions of judges and referees.==
I beat her up the whole fight except for the last two rounds when my left
eye was closed shut and the other eye was swollen.
Wissow:==I had Missy winning the fight after 7 rounds, but then here eyes
swelled shut and she lost the last 3 rounds big. i wouldnt say Missy
beat her up all fight like she said, but she had plenty of good moments.==
After the fight announcements were in Japanese and she won. I wanted to
read the scorecards and when I asked, the WIBA representative said there
were no scorecards.
Wissow:==they asked me in the dressing room after the fight. i told
them i didnt know where the scorecards were.==
I still haven't found out what the scoring was. How could there be
scoring without scorecards? We saw her (Raika) drinking an energy drink, not
water, between rounds. These are WIBA rules that were broken. I want a
rematch…..but not over there (Japan)."
Wissow:==If Jimmy Burchfield wants to put this fight on in Rhode Island,
I'm all for it. Missy fought a great, and I mean GREAT fight against
Raika. but this post-fight whining and complaining makes her look bad in my
opinion. Missy is a warrior. she should suck it up and come back. if she
keeps winning, she'll get another shot at Raika. that fight was too good not
to do again. I will send copies of both WIBA title fights in Kyoto to
a few lucky people in here, and they can see for themselves what happened.==
RYAN |
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