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2013 |
The "Best" , The "Coolest" to the "Most Outrageous"! |
Another year has
gone by and it is time to have the "hot and Not" Picks
for 2013!
This year was one of the most difficult years
to determine our TOP picks, especially the FIGHTER OF THE YEAR! Due to this difficulty, WBAN has
elected to list more than one boxer in certain categories to give our due
respect for those fighters who have worked hard throughout the year to
qualify for that top pick!
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Fighter of the
year
of the Year
2013
Ibeth Zamora Silva
24-year old light Flyweight "La Roca"
Ibeth Zamora Silva,
of San Cristóbal Huichochitlán, México, ranked #1 as a Junior
Flyweight with WBAN, was a very busy fighter this year,
fighting three world title bouts, and one non-title bout.
She had one of the most impressive wins of the year when she
like no others in Mexico seem to be able to do defeated
Ava Knight, by a unanimous decision, winning the
WBC Light Flyweight title.
Silva not only took on tough competition, but in 2013, she also
traveled to Tokyo, Japan, out of the country, and won that
vacant WBC light flyweight title against Naoki
Shibata winning by a close split decision. Silva
was also named our WBAN November 2013 Fighter of the month!
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Top Amateur
Boxers
of the Year
2013
Marlen Esparza
Amateur [Senior] Elite Boxer of the
Year
Claressa Shields
Amateur [Youth] Elite Boxer of the Year
Ciara Ginty
Amateur [Junior] Elite Boxer of the Year
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Top European
Fighter
of the Year 2013
Delfine Persoon
28-year old
Delfine Persoon,
28-1-0 (13KO), of Roeselare, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, took
2013 by storm when she fought a total of SEVEN
Times---stopping FOUR of her opponents.
On December 13th, she fought for the WIBA, WBF, and WIBF
lightweight titles against world champion Lucia Morelli
winning by a 10th round TKO. Persoon won all seven
fights in 2013 with two of them being for world titles.
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Top Latina Fighter(s)
of the Year 2013
Marcela Acuna - Argentina
Jessica Chavez - Mexico
This year we had a tie for
the Top Latina Fighter of the year. This honor goes to
both Jessica Chavez, of Mexico, City, ranked #4 as a light
flyweight with WBAN, and 37-year old Marcela "La Tigresa"
Acuna ranked #1 as a featherweight with WBAN's Independent
World Ratings.
Jessica Chavez fought a total of four times in 2013
taking on all top opponents and fighting all ten rounders.
She had three impressive wins against Manami Arima, Yesica
Bopp, and Irma Sanchez, with having one draw with Arely
Mucino.
Marcela Acuna a
long time veteran in the sport fighting from 1997-present,
also fought four times in 2013. She won three of her
fights with tough opponents, Melissa Hernandez, Halanna Dos
Santos, and Edith Matthysee, and had a draw with undefeated
Yesica Marcos. All of her fights were 10 round bouts with
two of her fights being for world titles.
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Rising Star(s)
of the Year
Jessica Gonzalez (pro)
Mikaela Mayer (Amateur)
JESSICA GONZALEZ
A bantamweight pro boxer from Mexico, with only a 4-1 record, had two huge
wins in 2013. In August of 2013, she gave Irma
Garcia her first loss as a pro by defeating her by a
split decision, and then fought world champion Yazmin
Rivas, in November of 2013, beating the veteran who came
into the fight with a 28-7-0 record, winning that fight by a split
in a 10-round "interim" WBC bantamweight title.
Gonzalez wasted little time in 2013 jumping into our #1
Worldwide slot as a Bantamweight with WBAN.....NOT an
easy task!
MIKAELA MAYER
Keep your eye out on THIS amateur boxer! Mikaela
Mayer, #1 with the AIBA, 64 kg, is not only a
boxer to be reckoned with in the ring---but she is also
creating a stir outside the ring.
As one writer wrote about Mayer, "Mayer is well-honed
technically, with a crisp jab and a solid right hand,
and good footwork. She possesses the often elusive and
immeasurable traits that any successful boxer needs --
toughness and grit, ring IQ, and the ability to adapt on
the fly."
The lead-in to that writer's story on Mayer, " Is
Mikaela Mayer Destined to Become the New Face of Women's
Boxing?"
WBAN can answer that question without a moment's
thought: "Absolutely, Yes!" |
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The "Movers
and the Shakers" in 2013
Amanda "The Real Deal" Serrano
Cindy "Checkmate" Serrano
These two sisters, Amanda
"The Real Deal" Serrano and Cindy "Checkmate" Serrano,
of New York, who happen to fight in the same weight class
have been all over the place, getting massive exposure
in and out of the ring!
These two have juggled between fighting in the ring and
creating quite a stir outside the ring with the exposure
they have been receiving in 2013 as the top "Movers and shakers"
in the sport! They are on the cover of Bodynstyle magazine, Muscle Fitness Hers, and are
in the process of doing two more magazine covers.
So 2014 will continue their mass exposure to the fans
when they do their Reality Show, which will begin
filming in 2014.
Inside the ring...Amanda Serrano fought four times in 2013, winning every
fight by a TKO or KO. Cindy Serrano fought twice,
winning both fights by a KO and a Unanimous decision. |
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Most
Inspirational Boxers
of the
year 2013
Sulem Urbina Soto
Tori "Sho-Nuff" Nelson
Layla "Amazing" McCarter
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Amateur female boxer Sulem
Urbina Soto, is a huge inspiration to others with
her personal strength and tenacity in the sport. In
2013, Sulem and her family experienced one of the worst
tragedies that anyone can even imagine can ever
happen----she lost her brother and amateur boxer Alexis
Urbina when an intruder entered their home in a home
invasion and he was murdered.
Sulem told the ODFC News,
"Before the tragedy occurred, Alexis promised to win at the
U.S. Nationals, and I promised to win the Mexico nationals,
so we would both be national champions together.”
“The plan was always for me
and Alexis to go to the Olympics together. He would
represent Team USA and I would represent Mexico. When he was
murdered this year, I knew I couldn’t quit, because that’s
not what he would have wanted me to do. I know now that I’m
one step closer to fulfilling that promise that we made to
each other. If the good lord above allows me to participate
in the 2016 Olympics, I will be ready, " added Sulem.
Sulem did continue after this tragedy---and in December,
Sulem fulfilled her promise to her brother and won a Gold
medal in the 112-pound division in the Mexican National
Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The "Amazing" part of
Layla McCarter,
with over 50 fights on her resume, and six world titles later goes
even, much, MUCH deeper, in addition to what she accomplishes in
the ring. OUTSIDE the ring...she is an Advocate and highly
looked upon Role models at this time.
McCarter IS the reason why women boxers can now fight 12 rounds,
three minute rounds in Nevada. Because of her taking this issue
to task, females boxers can exercise this option in the state of
Nevada when fighting for a title. She will definitely go
down in history as a trail-blazer!
WBC/WIBA World Champion Tori "Sho-Nuff"
Nelson, is a single mother, holds three jobs in
addition to pursuing her love of boxing as a Professional.
Nelson first started boxing at the age of 29, but in her
pursuit for the championship Nelson's journey has not so
easy.
Nelson said, "It's hard, especially doing it by myself
because I don't get enough time to raise my own kids, but I
just suck it up... because I know I got two mouths I got to
feed." She is a role model in the sport that inspires
others to pursue their dreams.
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Road Warriors of
the sport
In the
year 2013
Ava "Lady of Boxing"
Knight
Alicia "Slick" Ashley
Tori "Sho-Nuff" Nelson
Ava Knight,
of Chico, California, 12-2-3 (5KO), and still at the tender
age of 25, has fought 12 of her 17 fights out of
venue. In fact her last seven fights took place in
Mexico where she took six out of her seven opponents to task
winning those bouts out of venue. Five of those
opponents she defeated were from Mexico, with the sixth
opponent from Thailand.
Alicia Ashley, a well-seasoned professional boxer in
the sport, began her long veteran career when she first
fought in January of 1999. Since then, she has fought
just about everywhere in her 14 year boxing career. In
2013, it was no different when she first went Panama, and
fought Shantel Martinez, of Panama, defeating her by a
10-round unanimous decision, winning the WBC Super
Bantamweight title. Ashley, then fought in Mexico,
against another home brewing opponent, Zenny Sotomayer.
In that fight she stopped Sotomayer,
successfully defending her WBC belt in that fight.
Tori Nelson is no stranger to fighting out of
venue. In her last four fights, three of them in 2013
has been in outside venues. On February 2,
2013, she AGAIN ventured into Bermuda to take on Teresa Perozzi, having yet another draw with Perozzi in Perozzi's
stomping grounds.
She then went to Rhode Island,
winning the vacant WIBA welterweight title over
Aleksandra
Magdziak
Lopes. But then she went to Maryland, and won her last bout
against Kali Reis when she defended her WIBA title.
In a sport where we see "too much" of boxers not
taking the chance to fight out of venue---These road
warriors do not miss a beat to take a fight whether it
is in their home court advantage of not!!
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Female Boxing
Advocate 2013
Blanca Gutierrez
Blanca Gutierrez, is WBAN's
top pick as the most outstanding advocate in the sport with
female boxers in 2013. Where in the world does one even begin
to describe this extraordinary woman?
WBAN had a unique opportunity to meet Blanca in person and to
see her "in action" when she put on her Amateur Boxing show
Beautiful
Brawlers III in California. Not only was it one of the best
amateur boxing events, we have covered---but it was the
largest pool of female amateur fights we saw in one evening.
They had 17 amateur bouts on the card!
Gutierrez truly cares about the female boxers in the sport
and she is not afraid to address issues when they are needed
to be addressed. WBAN has the utmost respect for this
stellar role model and saw her as the top advocate for the
sport in 2013! |
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Most Outspoken
Female Boxer
of the
year 2013
Kaliesha "Wild Wild" West
| Multi-world champion
Kaliesha "Wild Wild" West gave the boxing community a
one-two punch this year when she did not "pull" any punches
about the state of women's boxing, and about the
frustrations female boxers face in the sport.
You can Love it, you can even
Hate it---but do not expect West to
give it a thought either way. This lil' boxer will tell you like it is in this
sport, and she is very outspoken about what she thinks is
happening. She wants change and is not
afraid to state that opinion. |
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WBAN's Top
Picks
Hot Prospects in 2013!
Female Boxers with
TEN fights and
Less....in Alphabetical order
Gaelle Amand (France) 10-0-0
Carolina Arias (C. Rica) 9-0-0 (4KO)
Noemi Bosques (USA) 4-0-1
Hyun-Mi Choi (S. Korea) 8-0-1 (2KO)
Kenia Enriquez (Mex) 8-0-0 (4KO)
Jessica Gonzalez (Mex) 4-1-0
Heather Hardy (USA)
7-0-0 (2KO)
Carolina Rodriguez (Chile) 10-0-0
Celina Salazar (USA) 5-1-2
Shelly Vincent (USA) 10-0-0 (1KO)
| You need to be on the
lookout for these outstanding and talented boxers---these
fighters some newer in the sport have been doing an excellent job in getting their name out there!
[We do not have photos of Hyun-Mi Choi or Carolina
Rodriguez] |
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Biggest Comebacks
of
The Year 2013
Martha Salazar
Rola El Halabi
Martha Salazar
---An absolutely amazing boxer----IN and OUT of the ring.
Salazar, a heavyweight in the sport, fought from 2001 to
2007, fighting any and every tough competitor that was in
her division during that time. Salazar's ring name is
"The Shadow" but WBAN describes this tough-hitting boxer as
more as "Fearless". After being out of the ring
for close to six years, and at the age of 43, she not only
re-entered the sport, but she took on the #1 Heavyweight
boxer in the sport at the time in her comeback fight in a
six rounder.
Rola El-Halabi of Ulm, Baden-Württemberg,
Germany, a very courageous boxer in the sport was shot about two years ago, and was
hospitalized with gunshot wounds to her hands, knees and
feet following an attack from her estranged stepfather just
minutes before a world title fight.
There were many
who thought that she would never fight again. But in
2013 she made a fantastic comeback having three fights, and
winning the WBF World Light Welterweight Title in 2013.
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The Bloodiest
Contest in 2013
Jelena Mrdjenovich vs. Melissa
Hernandez
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Mrdjenovich
defeated Hernandez for the WBC featherweight world title after it
was stopped because of a head butt and went to the score cardsiin Edmonton in 2013.
It was a "Sweet Revenge" for Mrdjenovich after losing
to Hernandez twice before---but it was not without some
collateral damage! |
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Sweet Revenge
Boxer of the Year
2013
Mariana "Barbie" Juarez
On April 27, 2013, in Mexico City, Mexico, and a
shocker to most, Riyo Togo, 112¾, of Tokyo, Japan, stopped Mariana
"La Barbie" Juarez, 114, in the first round by TKO. The
two were fighting for the WBC super flyweight
eliminator in the first round.
BUT...."La Barbie" was NOT having any of that with Togo and on
July 13, 2013, she had a 10-round rematch with Togo,
fighting for
the WBC International Super Flyweight title, where in THAT
fight Juarez won by a unanimous decision! |
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Biggest Upsets
of
the Year 2013
Riyo Togo TKO of Mariana Juarez
Oxandia Castillo TKO of Hanna Gabriel
Ibeth Zamora Silva Defeats Ava Knight
Jessica Gonzalez Defeats Yesica Bopps |
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Most
Controversial Fight
of the year 2013
Martha Salazar vs. Sonya
Lamonakis
WBAN's top pick for the
"Most Controversial" fight took
place on April 13, 2013 in Sacramento, California.
It was a heavyweight contest between Sonya Lamonakis
and Martha Salazar. The two were scheduled to fight six
rounds (2 minutes each round)...BUT the fight actually went
down with three minute rounds.
Shortly after the fight took place...Lamonakis
immediately walked over to the media and the commission table
and stated that she wanted to appeal the bout as a "no contest" because
the rounds were three-minutes instead of two-minutes.
There were also other issues raised about this fight, i.e. two inspectors for the
whole show, never watched them wrap, check wraps, etc.
The controversy over the issues
with this fight continued for several months after it took
place. It was ultimately decided by the California
Commission that the fight would stand as a win for Salazar,
but NOT without a lot of Controversy by many divided with
opinions on this bout! |
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Top
Fights
Worldwide for 2013!
Cecila Braekhus vs. Oxandia Castillo
Crystal Morales vs. Rhonda Luna II
Jolene Blackshear vs. Sindy Amador
Eileen Olszewski vs. Patricia Alcivar II
Melissa McMorrow vs. Nadia Raoui
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Top Knockouts in
2013
Togo TKO'd Juarez in First Round
Oxandia Castillo KO of Hanna Gabriel
Diana Prazak KO'd Frida Wallberg
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Top Female
Trainer
of the Year 2013
Lucia Rijker
| After retiring in 2005 from
her impressive professional (kick) boxing career, Lucia at
this time works full time, travelling the world as a coach,
teacher and motivational speaker. Lucia has coached and
still coaches Olympic and World Champions, i.e., Diana
Prazak, Myriam Lamare and more. In one of the biggest fights
of the year in 2013, Rijker was Prazak's coach and
readied Prazak to fight Frida Wallberg in Sweden, for the
WBC/WBAN Super Featherweight world titles. Rijker led
Prazak to a victory in that fight. |
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Busiest Boxer
of the Year 2013
Alexandra Gorog
Lightweight Alexandra Gorog,
now 5-12-0 (1KO), of Dunaföldvár, Hungary had 10
fights in 2013. Her wins and losses from those fights?
3 wins 7 losses. Gorog has appeared to have
moved into the "Tune-Up Opponent" status, with nearly 50% of
her fights she has either been KO'd, TKO'd or retired during
the fight.
Delfine Persoon was also very busy in 2013, having seven
fights in the ring, but she won all seven with four out of
her seven fights she stopped her opponents! |
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Three Top Boxers
Leave the Sport....But....Just to let Them know....You will be
missed!
Holly Holm
Rosilete Dos Santos
Jaime Clampitt
In 2013, women's boxing was dealt a big blow when
Multi-world champion Holly Holm left professional boxing to
pursue her MMA career. She left at the very top of her
game and she is already 6-0 in MMA and well on her way to
eventually face the likes of Rousey at some point in time.
WBAN wishes Holm the best in her new pursuit of MMA...but we
do have to admit....she will be DEFINITELY missed!
Multi-world champion Rosilete Dos Santos of Parana, Brazil, retired from
the sport in 2013---but she did not leave the sport, as far as what
she does outside the ring. She became a very strong
advocate for the elite amateur female boxers who are facing
a tough battle to fight in more weight classes in the upcoming Olympics in 2016 in
Rio de Janeiro. In 2013 and currently WBAN has been conducting a WBAN Petition to
encourage the public to sign it in to ask the I.O.C. to
increase the weight classes. Santos rallied with this
cause and gave this issue to the public in her countryhigh
exposure.
Jaime Clampitt had one her last fight in 2013 and called it a
wrap in the sport. She fought that farewell fight on November 22nd, at the Twin River Event Center, Lincoln, Rhode Island.
In that last fight, she won a six-round
unanimous decision over Dominga Olivo,132½. WBAN wishes Clampitt farewell for fighting inside the ring---hope to see her outside the
ring. |
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The Coolest in the
sport
| Beautiful Boxing Gym
"McConnell's Boxing Academy" Opens in Portland, Oregon |
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In 2013, WBAN visited a beautiful boxing gym that is
located in Portland, Oregon, owned and operated by
former women’s WIBF and
GBU World Champion, Molly McConnell. The new gym, McConnell’s
Boxing Academy, is located in the heart of the Lloyd
Business District in Portland, Oregon and is approaching
boxing training in a different way than most boxing
gyms. McConnell’s is focused on teaching, which
separates it from many traditional boxing gyms.
McConnell’s not only offers fitness classes for adults,
but also has specific beginning boxing programs for kids
and teens designed to teach boxing in a clear, well
organized way. They also have an amateur competition
team as well as professional boxers. Very
cool!
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Multi-World Champion Layla McCarter
receives Award by the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame!
in 2013, Six-Time world champion Layla McCarter received
a top honor by the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame by being named the
Nevada Female Fighter of the Year. Very well
deserved! Congratulations McCarter who is
rated #1 in our junior welterweight WBAN's Independent world
ratings.
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Beautiful Brawlers III Featuring Olympian Queen Underwood
in the main event - 2013
Headlining the Beautiful Brawlers III was USA Olympian and
beloved icon from Seattle, Washington, Queen Underwood. Queen and
her opponent did not disappoint, as all the other fantastic female
amateur fighters that fought on this card! Thank you Blanca
Gutierrez, Jerry Hoffman, Mario Cabrero Jr., Martha Salazar, Eliza
Olson, and everyone else connected in making this one of the most
successful female amateur events of the year!
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Very Cool Story! Kaliesha
"Wild Wild" West featured in television show "Capture!"
In what was one of WBAN's Top Cool
Stories, Kaliesha "Wild Wild" West, was featured in the show "Capture." Her teammate
who did the show with her was Matt
Rosado who is a jujitsu artist, and they are were considered the
"Fighters" on the show. Most of the teams had some
specialty skills coming into the competition.
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Women in the Sport Honored at the
Golden State Boxers Association "Knock Out" Event!
On November 9, 2013, , at the Luminarious Restaurant, in Monterey Park,
California, the Golden State Boxers Association [GSBA]
presented "Ladies First" Hall of Fame Awards honoring eight
women, both prominent boxers and females outside the ring
who have had a significant impact in the world of boxing with
California connections to the sport.
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The Most Outrageous in the sport
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So...One May Ask...What DOES it take to have a Ref
Deduct Points for Low Blows and More? |
On February 23, 2013, in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, Alejandra Oliveras fought Dayana "Tigresa" Cordero.
The two fought 10 rounds, for the WBO and WBA title. The fight
ended in a unanimous decision, in favor of Oliveras. WBAN's question is this....What
in the world does it take for a referee, to deduct points for
Low Blows, with Oliveras throwing a barrage of low
shots that landed Cordero doubling over for getting hit below
the legal point in round sixth and eight. As described by
many, the fight was "ugly", and that Oliveras should have been
disqualified for such actions. In 2013, this was certainly
"not cool" and the fact that the ref ignored many low blows
it was definitely outrageous!
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Diana Prazak vs. Frida Wallberg...In this fight was
there a doctor in the house?! |
In a firsthand
account the referee of the world title fight between Diana
Prazak vs. Frida Wallberg said in an interview:
"Neither the ring doctor or the ambulance crew were not on top of
things." Another statement made at the time of the
incident:
"There also seems to be a lot of controversy regarding the
ringside doctor’s failure to get her proper medical care and
help. It was suggested in one or two of the Scandinavian websites
that the outcome was bad though it is would have been
considerably worse had Lucia Rijker not insisted the doctor
return to the ringside and get her properly treated and
ambulances summoned.
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Should Breast Implants Deny females from
Boxing or fighting in MMA? Louisiana Thinks so! |
In September of 2013, WBAN
found out that the Louisiana Athletic Commission had an emergency
meeting, banning female boxers and MMA fighters from competing
in the sport in Louisiana, in a "Sky is falling" approach
to women in contact sports--if the female competitor in boxing
or MMA has a "breast implant."
This decision from Louisiana, was made after a female
boxer had reportedly pulled out of a match due to problems with
her implant.
According the CBS-Houston they reported the following:
"Women who have breast implants are now prohibited from
competing in mixed martial arts or boxing matches in the state
of Louisiana. According to The Times-Picayune, the Louisiana
State Boxing and Wrestling Commission passed a rule Wednesday
stating that women will need to get clearance from the plastic
surgeons who performed their implants or they would not be
allowed to fight." The Times-Picayune reports that a
moratorium will be in place for 60 days as more information is
gathered on the subject.
Commissioner Harold Williams was stated in that article:
"If they want to look good, then they don't have to be in the
ring." WBAN attempted to contact the
commission about this outrageous decision but they remained
silent...hmmm....I wonder why?
WBAN would like to thank the public who participated in giving
suggestions, and submitting their choices on the survey that we
posted to encourage participation.
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