The WBO have stripped Sergio Martinez of his Middleweight trinket

Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez was feted in a ceremony at the WBO's Puerto Rican headquarters on May 11, when he was presented with his new title belt. Those good feelings did not last long.

Martinez, who took apart Kelly Pavlik to win a unanimous decision and the lineal championship on April 17, has been stripped of his WBO version of the 160-pound title.

In a letter Saturday to Martinez and his handlers, WBO president Francisco "Paco" Valcárcel informed him of the sanctioning organization's decision.

"I learned a while ago that these organizations don't give you a belt," Martinez said. "They loan it to you. When they elect to take it back, they take it back. I thank them for the opportunity to win it and to hold it, but there is nothing I can do about it if they want to take it back. They can match whoever they want below me (for the vacant belt), but in my view, that winner can't truly call himself a champion."

Lou DiBella, Martinez's outspoken promoter, wasn't as diplomatic as his fighter about the decision.

"My attitude is f--- 'em. F--- 'em. He is the people's champion at 160 pounds," DiBella said. "He is the lineal and only legitimate champion."

Martinez still holds the Ring magazine middleweight title and WBC belt at middleweight, as well as the WBC's version of the 154-pound junior middleweight title. He has not yet determined in which weight class he will fight.

However, the WBO said it would no longer wait for him to decide and cited its rule governing the situation: "A WBO champion who wins a non-WBO championship in a weight class that is different than the weight class in which he holds his WBO championship must decide within 10 days of the non-WBO championship which title in which weight class he will retain. No WBO champion may hold a non-WBO championship in a weight class that is different from the weight class of his WBO championship."

"We have so many bad decisions in the ring and now we have another bad one outside the ring," said Sampson Lewkowicz, Martinez's adviser. "I understand they have bylaws, but there must be an exception for an exceptional champion like Sergio 'Maravilla' Martinez."

The rule in section 15 of the WBO's bylaws is one for which there has typically been an exception made when a fighter asks for one in order to allow more time to decide which title he will keep.

"What's troubling is that they have a rule that gives them the right to make an exception, but here, for whatever reason, they elected to strip Sergio even though there is no contender who has been sitting there waiting and waiting for his chance," DiBella said. "A lot of the guys in their top 10 aren't even available to fight for the title. I don't know what their rush was.

"Look at their ratings and try to rationalize their behavior. All you can do is conclude that this is another ratings organization who doesn't give a s--- about boxing and shoots itself in the foot."

Lewkowicz said the WBC has not forced the issue yet. He added that Martinez's decision about which weight class title to keep will depend on his next opponent and HBO, which has backed Martinez's recent fights, although the network has not made his next fight a priority.

Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs), who is from Argentina and lives in California, has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the event that he does not fight Manny Pacquiao.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5238745

what a BS move

WBO's MW rankings
1 Dmitry Pirog (Asia-Pacific) RUS
2 Daniel Jacobs (NABO) USA
3 Gennady Golovkin KAZ
4 Gennady Martirosyan (WBO Europe) ARM
5 Fernando Guerrero (NABO Int.) DR
6 Maksym Bursak (Int-Cont) UKR
7 Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam CAM
8 Anthony Mundine AUST
9 Mathew Macklin GB
10 Avtandil Khurtsidze GEO

Damn that didn't take long, I wonder why they never stripped Pavlik?

It's really getting out of control now. Something has to be done about these sanctioning bodies.

I heard that Ali, they are making boxing look really bad!

What disgusts me is the never ending thirst the fighters and promoters have for these worthless trinkets, and the media's refusal to serve the public interest by exposing these belts for what they are.

Lou DiBella is the man!

marbleheadmaui wrote:

Lou DiBella is the man!

+ 1

Lou Dibella for president.

gomez1012 wrote:

what a BS move

WBO's MW rankings
1 Dmitry Pirog (Asia-Pacific) RUS
2 Daniel Jacobs (NABO) USA
3 Gennady Golovkin KAZ
4 Gennady Martirosyan (WBO Europe) ARM
5 Fernando Guerrero (NABO Int.) DR
6 Maksym Bursak (Int-Cont) UKR
7 Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam CAM
8 Anthony Mundine AUST
9 Mathew Macklin GB
10 Avtandil Khurtsidze GEO

That Golovkin is suppose to have had a stellar amateur career, I forget who he beat but there were alot of todays big names, i think I saw Dirrell and I remember reading Korobrov. And I heard Mundine just ducked him.

Jacobs vs Guerrero would be great if that happened in a year or two.

Mayweather will be more interested in the Ring Championship when he fights Sergio anyways....

Ali_1748 wrote:

It's really getting out of control now. Something has to be done about these sanctioning bodies.

Yup. They must be enthusiastically ignored!

Perhaps the WBO should start awarding a silver championship.

Canvas wrote:

Perhaps the WBO should start awarding a silver championship.

Or diamond champion in emeritus titles.

[/quote]

That Golovkin is suppose to have had a stellar amateur career, I forget who he beat but there were alot of todays big names, i think I saw Dirrell and I remember reading Korobrov. And I heard Mundine just ducked him.

[/quote]

I hold Mundine at the same level of contempt as David Haye. He endlessly badmouths other fighters but refuses to back his mouth. Mundine chased Danny Green for Green's entire retirement begging for another mega payday fight. Mundine's manager was taking Green out for lunch and offering big money to tempt him back.

As soon as Green finally gave in and announced his comeback, Mundine dropped down to middleweight. Just a disgusting figure.

I stopped taking the alphabet organizations seriously a long time ago.

We really do need the US government to step in.

I just don't understand the logic behind any of the sanctioning bodies.

Personally Martinez is the ring champ at 160 and 154..........True boxing fans knows that

Mightytitan5 wrote:

Personally Martinez is the ring champ at 160 and 154..........True boxing fans knows that

Oh yeah he is the man right now. Who is willing to fight him right now?

Canvas wrote:

That Golovkin is suppose to have had a stellar amateur career, I forget who he beat but there were alot of todays big names, i think I saw Dirrell and I remember reading Korobrov. And I heard Mundine just ducked him.

[/quote]

I hold Mundine at the same level of contempt as David Haye. He endlessly badmouths other fighters but refuses to back his mouth. Mundine chased Danny Green for Green's entire retirement begging for another mega payday fight. Mundine's manager was taking Green out for lunch and offering big money to tempt him back.

As soon as Green finally gave in and announced his comeback, Mundine dropped down to middleweight. Just a disgusting figure.[/quote]

Difference is at least Haye's achieved something in his career, Mundine's claim to fame is being knocked out by feather fisted Sven Ottke and owning a bogus WBA title at 168lb.

Mightytitan5 wrote:

Personally Martinez is the ring champ at 160 and 154..........True boxing fans knows that

Welcome Mighty Titan, glad to have you aboard

hardcoreBEE24 wrote:

I just don't understand the logic behind any of the sanctioning bodies.

Greed.

Mundine is a total punk. Aside from the Danny Green situation, this douchebag pretty much cheered on the 9/11 terrorists. He wants a holy war? My buddies in the USMC would have him quitting on his stool faster than Popo Freitas. Not to mention for all his trash talk, he was KTFO by that legendary KO artist Sven Ottke.