NABC Calls on IBF to Deny Medina Rematch

Many times during the Johnny Tapia vs. Manuel Medina contest for Medina's IBF Flyweight title, the HBO announce team told viewers Medina was breaking the Punchstat record for featherweights. Yet the announce team obviously struggled to define precisely what kind of punches it was they were watching, coming up with analogies like "a storm of gnats." That, in law enforcement terms, is known as a clue. A clue something was radically wrong with the fight. Getting hit by a world champion boxer isn't supposed to be analogous to getting hit by a gnat. It certainly isn't supposed to take a world record number of punches from a world champion boxer to add up to the impact of a cloud of gnats.

In addition to the two standard punch categories; power punches and jabs, we need a new one. The new category should be "punching motions". Distinctions matter. In the eighties when Michael Jackson picked up his right foot and slid it backward he was moonwalking. He did not however, walk on the moon. When students in gym class put their legs in the air and peddle they are using a bicycling motion. They are not, however, riding bicycles.

Because there is not yet a "punching motion" category, Medina was credited with over 1400 "punches" when he actually threw about 20. The 1400 high speed repetitive punching motions he performed provided him with an excellent cardiovascular work out, but had nothing to do with effective aggression. For all the offense he produced he might as well have turned his back and ran away.

Boxers who perform boxing aerobics instead of throwing punches are not fighters. Belt holders who don't fight are not champions.

In gratitude for elevating boxing aerobics from late night basic cable infomercials to a world wide HBO sports audience, Billy Blanks should do the right thing and appoint Manuel Medina holder of the vacant world featherweight championship for Tae Bo. In his IBF title defense, though, Medina should have been disqualified by the referee for refusing to fight.

That decision is too late to take back. What can be done for the future is for Punchstat to add a more credible category for the kind of fake fighting tactics Medina tried to hide behind, and for the IBF to deny any pleas from the Medina camp for a mandatory rematch.

Ed Hutchison
President
North American Boxing Council
PH: 866-640-NABC
FAX: 317-290-6732
http://www.nabc.info