Just a suggestion Dan whenever you travel internationally you should always inform and be aware where the U S Consulate is so that they are aware of your itinerary for your own security. In many of these countries people just disappear, sounds to me like the "fix" was in from the time these fights were set up by the "Trinidad boxing authorities".  Glad you made it home safely Buddy.                       Ed

"The Boxing Guru (Dan)" <Sisnerosboxing@...> wrote:

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Subject: Trinidad WIBC titles
This is to clarify the position of the WIBC regarding the fights on
September 23, 2005 and to state the irregularities of the events
only on that night. This will be brief as there is litigation
brought forth by the WIBC against a number of parties relative to
the fights that night.
To begin with, I arrived in Trinidad at the airport on September 22,
2005 at approximately 1:34pm so as to make the weighin that
afternoon-which had been moved from 11am to 5pm. After arriving,
there was no one to meet me there and after two hours of calling the
promoter, ABC Boxing Promotions aka ABC Boxing Academy, I was
instructed to take a taxi to their office-which I did and arrived
about 4:30pm. I asked to be taken to the weighin so I could certify
the weights of the boxers, go over the rules, and have the boxers
sign their WIBC Title Defense Agreements. One of the promoters,
Glen Gadsby refused to take me to the arena until approximately
7:00pm that night-after most of the boxers had left and well after
the weighin was over. The WIBC requires that a Supervisor be in
attendence to certify the weights of all title fights. In our
opinion, being barred from the weighin is enough to keep the title
fights from being sanctioned. It was only the beginning of many
problems to come.
Upon leaving the arena, I arrived back at the hotel only to see the
newspaper headlines that day detailing kidnappings in Trinidad. I
go to the hotel only to find out the promoter did NOT pay for the
room at the Kapoc Hotel but promised to do so later. They allowed
me to check in forunately and within minutes of getting to my room,
the telephone rings and a voice states "This is a friend-do not
leave your hotel this evening." At first I thought this was a joke,
then when I went downstairs to eat dinner-at my own expense-which
was supposed to be paid by the promoter-a gentleman at the bar
advised me to be careful as his boss's son was kidnapped a week ago
and just released after a large ransom was paid. At that point, I
became a beleiver and stayed in the room.
The next morning I go to the promoter's office to have him sign
updated sanction agreements and collect all the balance due for
sanctioning, belt usage fees, memberships, and gloves I brought
since the promoter had NO gloves for the fight. I stayed all day
only to be told that they had no money to pay the balance of all
fees due nor could they pay for the hotel room, even thought the
Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Board assured me on the telephone and in
the newspaper that they would guarantee the WIBC would receive all
monies due. Since the last flight had already left Trinidad, I was
stuck and had no choice but to try to give a semblance of
sanctioning for my own safety until I could leave Trinidad. I told
the promoters that due to the fact that they could not pay their
obligations and the boxers would not sign the title defense
agreements, I would take the belts back to the U.S. and upon
everything getting in order with agreements, monies, etc. the WIBC
would then send all the boxers the belts and I needed all the boxing
gloves back since payment was not made for them either. Two of the
promoters, Glen Gadsby and Ken Smith agreed.
Upon my arrival of the arena, I was told by the Boxing Board that
they did not collect the monies owed to the WIBC, that I could not
sign off on the wraps or gloves, see the weights from the weighin,
have the judges fill out WIBC scorecards,or have any WIBC member
officials judge or referee. Obviously, something was awry.
At the first WIBC title fight between Liz Mooney of the United
States and Iva Weston of Trinidad, Mooney totally dominated the
fight. Even so, she was behind on the round by round scoring as I
sat at the official's table-I could not beleive it. Then in the
10th and final round, Mooney knocks down Weston who falls into the
ropes and cannot get up-until the referee HELPS her up!! Otherwise,
she was finished! Even Chairman Taylor of the Boxing Board stated
that "that cost Weston the fight." Even so, the Judges scored the
round a 10-9 for Mooney until I pointed out that that was a 10-8
round due to the knockdown. Begrudgingly, they wrote it on
the "notebook sheet"-not the official score sheet. I was keeping
the round by round scoring and Weston won by a split decision. I go
into the ring to present the beltto Mooney-ceremoniously-since I was
taking the belt back-and there was a massive delay-the ring
announcer states that the "judges are trying to get the scoring
right." I wait and finally the decision is announced-a split
decision victory for Weston! i walk over to the officials table and
asked them "what in the hell is going on?" They told me to shut up
and go sit down. At that point, I called the United States and
talked to 2 members of the WIBC Executive Committee about the
situations that had occurred thus far and was told to pull all
sanctions and leave when I could. At that point, there would be no
WIBC Champions crowned the night of September 23, 2005.
While I waited for the right opportunity to leave the arena, the
next fight was beginning with Teresa Peruzzi and Scroller
Carrington. Since I was not allowed to see scoring or be at the
officials table, I sat with the U.S. Marines that I had invited and
watched the fight. Peruzzi won when Carrington's corner stopped the
fight. I go in the ring to present the belt for pictures and as did
in the previous fight and afterwards asked for the belt back.
Peruzzi and her corner refused to hand it over and at that point the
Boxing Board Chairman and Promoter came in the ring, blocked me away
from the fighter, and told me to leave the ring and the belt. At
that time, I stated publicly that these fights were a farce and
there were no official champions on this night. As I was leaving,
Peruzzi's corner yelled at me to "go have sex with myself" and with
or without the WIBC they were the champion and were going to keep
the belt and defend it in Bermuda. At that point, my driver called
and said he was there to take me back to the hotel. I left and
watched the rest of the fights on television.
About 3am, there was a knock on the room door, and hotel security
was there with 2 constables who asks me to go with them to the
police station to answer some questions about the incidents that
night. I was not under arrest nor was I detained but asked to
cooperate. I went with them, showed them the contracts signed,
showed them where monies were not paid, showed them that the WIBC
did NOT sell belts but charged a belt usage fee so that there was no
theft, and I was told they were finished, they thanked me for my
cooperation, apologized for any inconvenience, and I walked out. I
was never handcuffed nor put behind bars.
I returned to my hotel about 5:30am, where I had hotel security
accompany me to the room where I saw my room had been gone through,
documents and newspapers were missing, and the sliding glass door on
the patio was open. I grabbed my suitcases, went downstairs, paid
the hotel bill which the promoter never paid, met my driver, and
proceeded to the airport. Upon my arrival, I got my ticket,
proceeded to the gate, got on the plane and waited for takeoff.
Just before the airplane door closed, airline security asked me my
name, I told them, and they asked me to deplane, which I did, and
there were 2 constables from the airport police station there to
question me. I asked to have my bags removed from the plane, they
were, and I went with the constables to the police station at the
airport. Again, I was not arrested nor detained but asked to
cooperate. At no time was I treated poorly by the police nor
handcuffed. Upon my arrival at the police station, one of the
promoters, Boxu Potts was there-again making false allegations
against myself and the WIBC, I explained to the constables the
situation, showed them all contracts and monies paid to date, the
belts, and how they were NOT sold. They stated that the situation
was a civil matter, wished me well, and I proceeded back to the
airport to get a ticket for the next flight back to Atlanta. Four
hours later, I got my new ticket and I was asked to wait for airport
security again. I did, and they told me the police needed more
information from me. There were no police there, I walked freely to
the police station, and all they wanted was contact information from
me for their records. Five minutes and I was gone. I then
proceeded to the gate where I waited to board. Since I had not
slept for 2 days, I was dozing off when I was tapped on the shoulder
by a constable who informed me that he and his 3 colleagues were
from the Fraud Squad and had some questions and would I come with
them. They stated it would be quick and I would not miss my plane.
I told them no problem, went with them to a conference room, showed
them my passport, showed them all documents, gave them copies of the
documents,gave them my contact information, and they thanked me and
hurried me back to the gate to catch my plane. Again, at no time
was I ever under arrest or detained forcefully and the Trinidad
police were polite and professional and open minded. They knew that
if I missed the plane, I would be stuck until the next day so they
hurried with their questions. I got on the plane, changed planes in
Miami, and returned home to Atlanta the same night.
Upon my return, I met with the WIBC Executive Committee and we
officially declared the 5 "title" fights in Trinidad "non-title" due
to all the irregularities that occurred-including but not limited to
failure of monies paid (which was to be paid 60 days in advance), no
WIBC Supervisor at the weighin, no official WIBC scorecards used, no
checking of gloves or wraps, no WIBC Supervisor seeing the Trinidad
scorecards after the first fight, no boxers completing WIBC
membership forms or signing WIBC Title Defense Agreements, and
inproprieties occurring the entire evening. A statement is being
forwarded to
Fight Fax, Inc. stating that these are non-title fights and asking
that they be stricken from the record book. All boxers and their
management are urged to contact the WIBC regarding each individual
case in regards to review and appeals procedures.
The WIBC nor its affiliated sanctioning bodies will not sanction any
title fights or allow title fights to be held in Trinidad or Tobago
until the entire boxing board is replaced and assurances are in
place that boxers will recieve proper, fair, and responsible scoring
in future fights. Finally, the WIBC is in possession of documents
showing that members of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Board are
representatives of other sanctioning bodies as well as on the Board
of Directors of ABC
Boxing (the promoter)which obviously shows major conflicts of
interests. Even the Guyana Boxing Board was not paid US$900.00 for
airfare and expenses for bringing in a fighter for the card-there
were no checks and balances in order there and without a doubt the
most reprehensible night of boxing I have ever seen.