The WBC stands firm on its previous order to not sanction any fights taking place in Russia or Belarus.
That ruling has now extended down to the fighters who hail from and proudly represent either nation.
A big reveal came from the ratings portion of the annual WBC convention on Tuesday in Acapulco, Mexico. While discussing movements in each division, the sanctioning body announced that boxers from Russia and Belarus will be removed from its monthly ratings effective immediately.
“The WBC Board of Governors met and reviewed a specific situation, a specific case,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman addressed the convention participants Tuesday afternoon. “The WBC has reached a determination after analyzing the ongoing situation of the ongoing invasion of Russia into Ukraine.
“All fighters from Russia and Belarus are being removed from the WBC rankings. The WBC will not sanction fights in those two countries and no national citizen from those two countries can compete for a WBC championship title.
I wish to express our deep regret for the athletes, for the promoters, for the members of the boxing industry from Russia and Belarus who will suffer the consequences of the actions outside the ring.”
The decision comes more than eight months after the WBC joined the WBA, WBO and IBF in not sanctioning any fights in either nation, in light of the start of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The February 24 ruling was meant as a joint stance taken by all four major sanctioning bodies, though the WBA went rogue in establishing its own set of rules. Included among the WBA’s amended resolution was the removal of boxers and replaced with a “#nowar” disclaimer where said athletes previously held a ranking.
It also didn’t immediately extend to a pair of title fights that were already on the calendar; Russia’s Radzhab Butaev’s defense of his secondary WBA welterweight title against Eimantas Stanionis; and Dmitry Bivol’s WBA light heavyweight title defense against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Butaev and Bivol both train out of Joel Diaz’s gym in Indio, California, in part a helpful loophole. Bivol (21-0, 11KOs) is a Kyrgyzstan-born boxer whose family moved to Saint Petersburg, Russia when he was still in grade school.
The WBC’s ruling targets any boxer who are natural Russian or Belarusian citizens, which would become a conversation if either of those fighters were to pursue a WBC-branded title fight.
Exceptions will be considered by the Mexico City-headquartered organization, including Russia-born boxers living elsewhere.
For example, it is unlikely to affect the career of lineal/WBC/IBF/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18KOs)—a Chechen boxer who represented Russia in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics but who relocated to Montreal upon turning pro in 2013. The same would apply to unbeaten heavyweight contender Arslanbek Makhmudov (15-0, 14KOs), a 33-year-old from Mozdok, Russia who also now lives in Montreal. Makhmudov’s team actually argued—unsuccessfully—for a more favorable heavyweight ranking prior to the ruling being read aloud.
“At the November 6, 2022 Board of Governors meeting, the board unanimously approved the resolution to remove all boxers from either of those countries from the world ratings,” stated the ruling. “Any specific cases of nationals of either of those countries permanently residing in other countries, are citizens of other countries or are refugees, who have publicly rejected Russia’s actions in the current situation will have the right to petition the WBC to reconsider The WBC’s ruling is effective immediately and will stay in effect until such time when Ukraine is able to resume their normal boxing activities or when the WBC revisits its ruling.”
While boxers such as Beterbiev and Makhmudov are spared, at least two boxers who were expecting more favorable news to come from the convention are instead dealt a harsher reality.
Evgeny Romanov (17-0, 12KOs) and his team hoped to receive the news of a forthcoming ordered mandatory title shot against reigning WBC Bridgerweight titlist Oscar Rivas (28-1, 19KOs). Instead, Romanov—a 37-year-old contender born and raised in Volgograd, Russia—was immediately removed from the number one-spot which will now go to Croatia’s Allen Babic.
Matchroom Boxing, who promotes Babic, have already sought clarification on a Rivas-Babic fight being ordered which is expected to come Wednesday during the mandatory title fight portion of the annual convention.
Top cruiserweight contender Aleksei Papin (14-1, 13KOs) also saw his hopes dashed of being named the mandatory challenger to WBC cruiserweight titlist Ilunga ‘Junior’ Makabu (29-2, 25KOs). The 35-year-old Papin hails from Reutov, Russia and has spent the entirety of his seven-year pro career in his home country. That—and his home address—will have to change in a big way if he wants to fight in any WBC-sanctioned fight for the foreseeable future.
Beterbiev is the only current full WBC titlist of Russian descent. The sanctioning body openly discussed his future, including the possibility of facing Bivol in an undisputed light heavyweight championship in 2023, along with clarification on when he will have to next face mandatory challenger Callum Smith (29-1, 21KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox