Boxer to lose title?

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 28

Boxer to lose title?

NZPA-Reuter Montreal The World Boxing Council voted unanimously yesterday to strip Marvin Hagler of his world middleweight title for flouting its rule limiting championship fights to 12 rounds. Hagler, recognised as the World Boxing Association champion, had been the undisputed champion until the decision. The only other champion recognised by both bodies is the lightheavyweight, Michael Spinks, also of the United States.

Hagler stopped the No. 1 I challenger, Mustafa Ham- i sho, a Syrian-born United States citizen, on Friday i night in the third round of a scheduled 15-round title defence at Madison Square Garden in New York. The W.B.C. president, Jose Sulaiman, said Hagler had repeatedly been asked ] to conform to the 12-round rule but had not responded. 1 “We are going to be at- j tacked by a sector of the world, we are going to be rapped and criticised,” Sulaiman said of the decision _ I

by the 22-member executive committee “But I believe that above these attacks must rest the honour and respect that we have for our principles of integrity, justice and fairness. The W.B.C. adopted the 12-round limit for championship fights on January 1, 1982, after the South Korean lightweight, Duk Koo Kim, died following a W.8.A.-sanctioned title bout with Ray (Boom Boom) Mancini of the United States.