Female champs get their world belts

The women, Giselle "Magic" Salandy and Iva Weston, collected the belts at the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs office, Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, while Lisa "Bad News" Brown is expected to receive hers soon.

Brown is a Trinidad and Tobago born boxer who resides in Canada and was the winner of the main bout on the card against American Jackie Chavez. According to boxing promoter and matchmaker Buxo Potts, Brown was extremely elated when she found out that the belts were finally ready.

He said yesterday that the North American Boxing Council (NABC) had decided to donate the belts to the local boxers after learning that they had been deprived of them by the Women’s International Boxing Council who had sanctioned the card. The boxers were denied the belts after row between Potts of the ABC Boxing Academy and the chairman of the Women’s International Boxing Council (WIBC) Don "Moose" Lewis.

The American reportedly left Trinidad and Tobago with the belts after the card complaining he had been owed sanctioning fees and money for the belts which claim was denied by Potts.

Brown who had openly expressed her disappointment on not getting her belt on the night of the fight, will be presented with two belts for her successes.

Potts said that a number of sanctioning bodies around the world had also openly expressed their disappointment about what had happened.

President of the local Boxing Board of Control Melchior Taylor said a strongly worded letter was written to the American Boxing Council about the behaviour of Lewis.

He added that although they will now have to wait and see what action will be taken against him in the USA, his board in the meanwhile has taken the decision to ban Lewis from taking part in boxing in Trinidad and Tobago.

He made it clear that they at the board have learnt their lessons. Taylor said he knows that Lewis had been paid the cash for the belts on the night of the fights, and was therefore surprised at the turn of events. He said the boxers needed to be honoured for their hard work in the ring, and credited Potts for ensuring that the belts were made available to the boxers, despite the delay.