(JULY 6) The goal was met and the 99th Convention of the World Boxing Association had a great closing ceremony, the first virtual ceremony in the history of this organization, the pioneer in boxing. We had the honor of having great boxing figures such as Jessie Vargas, Oscar de La Hoya, Juan Martin Latigo Coggi and son, Yessica Tuti Bopp, Marcos Maidana and his team, Maribel Ramirez, as well as journalists such as Osvaldo Principi and his night club, and we shared the touching moment of receiving the ecumenical boxer, Roberto Duran, who appeared at the Convention after leaving the hospital to share his good spirit in public. It was a great virtual party that showed they all are together and wish a good future.

For four days, people from different places around the world had the opportunity to share and be part of different talks on topics such as ranking updates and championships which made the assembly to make subsequent decisions along with promoters. A historical review was carried out with the company of Bob Arum and Don King. Gender issues were discussed with world representatives such as Hanna Gabriels, Orlando Cruz, Claressa Shields and Seniesa Estrada. Also, current problems and challenges were discussed, taking into account the future, with the experienced journalist Claudia Trejo and the CEO of Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn.

On the other hand, the WBA President, Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, and the current President of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA), Mohamed Moustahsan talked about working for one boxing by unifying criteria in favor of this sport. Also, there was a debate on olympic boxing in which important representatives participated. The Medical Committee of the WBA informed how to address the COVID-19 challenges, provided anti-doping guidelines, and talked on nutrition and veganism in boxing alongside Bernard Hopkins and Chris Alghieri. In addition, there was a successful officials’ seminar aiming to create a better understanding of how they are working even for fans.

There was a section called “An hour with,” where Jorge Linares and Amir Khan participated. During this time, the press and fans had the opportunity to meet, share and make questions to both boxing stars.

All the event was broadcast simultaneously via the digital platform called GoWebinar and YouTube to reach a greater audience. All this experience served as a prelude to the 100th anniversary that the WBA will be celebrating in 2021.