Christ on a Bika...

BoxRec News understands that WBC super-middleweight champion Andre Ward will have his status changed to ‘Champion Emeritus’ by the governing body.

The match between Los Angeles-based Cameroonian Sakio Bika and unbeaten Montenegrin Nikola Sjekloca, currently slated for the WBC interim title at super-middle, will be, in turn, upgraded to the ‘ordinary’/full-fat title.

That bout is set for Atlantic City on February 16th.

Ward withdrew from a scheduled January 26th defence again Kelly Pavlik after the Oakland fighter suffered a shoulder injury. This means, of course, that the WBC can’t earn a sanctioning fee from Ward whilst he’s recuperating. Whether this is linked to his likely ‘promotion’ is not known.

We also understand that the winner of Bika-Sjekloca will be mandated to fight Canada-based Romanian Lucian Bute within 90 days.

Bute had an option to fight Carl Froch in a return (i.e. Froch was contractually obliged to give Bute a rematch after the Nottingham man smashed him in five rounds last May) but Bute, understandably given the comprehensive nature of his defeat, doesn’t seem to fancy going down that route.

http://news.boxrec.com/news/2013/exclusive-%E2%80%93-andre-ward-be-%E2%80%98upgraded%E2%80%99-wbc-bute-swerves-froch-and-gets-line-wbc-title

Where will it end?

Was shaking my head reading this UC, boxing is becoming one big mess. I'm waiting for Heinz to release their own belt to really finish the sport off.

To call the WBC a joke would be far too kind. I see that Sulaiman, as expected, secured yet another term as their 'President' the other week. Oh joy.

I'm not surprised that they've (for all intents and purposes) stripped Ward - they came perilously close to doing so a few months back, for no good reason, so that they could basically give the title to Anthony Dirrell. He got injured and Ward was given his stay of execution, which ends here, it seems.

Champion Emeritus, Diamond Champion, Silver Champion, WBC World Cup winner....I could vomit. Preferably all over Sulaiman.

This has been coming for a while. For some reason the WBC really dont want Ward holding their title.

Anyone want to give odds on Chavez Jr jumping to SMW soon?

They want to give Bute a belt what a load of guff, the best SMW on the planet holds a guff belt, reminds me of Martinez's problems.

The WBC are beyond a joke now, Bob Mee does a regular column in Boxing News slagging them off and their latest ruse is the creation of spurious regional belts such as Pan Asian Intercontinental and the like. The problem is all of these belts carry decent rankings with the WBC so if you shell out enough sanctioning fees on nonsense titles you can manipulate your way up the rankings. Like Mee says it reduces the rankings to little more than Tesco loyalty cards, spend enough on sanctioning fees and ridiculous belts and you’ll find yourself mandatory eventually.

Suleman is a pox on the sport. I am in absolutely no surprise he has upgraded Ward, the problem for Suleman with guys like Ward is they have reached a status where they don’t fight regularly enough to pay what he considers enough in sanctioning fees and they have crazy ideas like going out of their weight class to fight guys like Dawson in fights fans want to see, better to have someone who does not earn enough to allow them to fight once a year as champion and who has not got enough of a name to tell him to shove his belt up his arris. It would appear the prestige of having the best fighter in the weight wearing your belt matters little now.

Well, essentially Rowley, whoever brings in the most money - Ding-Ding-Ding, Winner.

Rowley wrote:The WBC are beyond a joke now, Bob Mee does a regular column in Boxing News slagging them off and their latest ruse is the creation of spurious regional belts such as Pan Asian Intercontinental and the like. The problem is all of these belts carry decent rankings with the WBC so if you shell out enough sanctioning fees on nonsense titles you can manipulate your way up the rankings. Like Mee says it reduces the rankings to little more than Tesco loyalty cards, spend enough on sanctioning fees and ridiculous belts and you’ll find yourself mandatory eventually.

Suleman is a pox on the sport. I am in absolutely no surprise he has upgraded Ward, the problem for Suleman with guys like Ward is they have reached a status where they don’t fight regularly enough to pay what he considers enough in sanctioning fees and they have crazy ideas like going out of their weight class to fight guys like Dawson in fights fans want to see, better to have someone who does not earn enough to allow them to fight once a year as champion and who has not got enough of a name to tell him to shove his belt up his arris. It would appear the prestige of having the best fighter in the weight wearing your belt matters little now.

Completely agree

Rowley wrote:The WBC are beyond a joke now, Bob Mee does a regular column in Boxing News slagging them off and their latest ruse is the creation of spurious regional belts such as Pan Asian Intercontinental and the like. The problem is all of these belts carry decent rankings with the WBC so if you shell out enough sanctioning fees on nonsense titles you can manipulate your way up the rankings. Like Mee says it reduces the rankings to little more than Tesco loyalty cards, spend enough on sanctioning fees and ridiculous belts and you’ll find yourself mandatory eventually.

Suleman is a pox on the sport. I am in absolutely no surprise he has upgraded Ward, the problem for Suleman with guys like Ward is they have reached a status where they don’t fight regularly enough to pay what he considers enough in sanctioning fees and they have crazy ideas like going out of their weight class to fight guys like Dawson in fights fans want to see, better to have someone who does not earn enough to allow them to fight once a year as champion and who has not got enough of a name to tell him to shove his belt up his arris. It would appear the prestige of having the best fighter in the weight wearing your belt matters little now.

It's just another step towards the complete overthrow of all the sanctioning bodies that you've been waiting for. Unfortunately this won't be the straw that breaks the camels back but with Suliman in charge for another term we might soon see the day where fans, fighters and everyone else involved says enough is enough.

I really do think that if the fighters who don't need the belts on the line to sell well like Floyd, Manny and previously Hatton spent more time bad mouthing the alphabet boys they might be able to get across to the casual fans just how meaningless the title world champion is these days and start to make some changes.

When will Bute make up his mind? His career goes nowhere from here unless he rematches Froch. He's nothing in the SMW division unless he does so, none of the big names will face him because he's been relieved of his mystical prowess within the division and the only way back is to get back the guy who took it. Failing that he'd have to make do with fights with the shards of Kelly Pavlik or Jermain Taylor.

I'd looove it if Bute could beat him, I'd looove it!!! (Kevin Keegan style)

I think Bute would do better against Ward than Froch and Kessler did, style wise I think he would cause Ward much more problems. Thing is though he'll need a win over Froch, Kessler or a decent name at Light Heavy to get a crack at Ward and both Froch and Kessler knock him I think.

the belts are a complete joke, but so is the way a lot of promoters and fighters manipulate the meaning of them to satisfy their own needs.