FOR keeping professional boxing in the country alive amid the pandemic, the Games and Amusements Board was hailed by the World Boxing Council as the “Commission of the Year” for the second time during the WBC’s 59th annual convention recently in Mexico City.
“This recognition is a fitting farewell and lasting legacy of President Rodrigo Duterte and the current GAB board,” said GAB Chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra, who received the award directly from WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman.
The Mexico-based pro boxing body also awarded the same honor to the GAB in 2017.
Sulaiman praised Mitra and GAB for its ability to sustain pro boxing in the Philippines despite the pandemic with initiatives aimed at helping the plight of the pro boxers and promoters during the virus crisis.
Among these moves were the renewal of free physical check-ups and laboratory exams for promoters and boxers applying for and renewing GAB licenses in cooperation with the Department of Health and providing financial aid to the fighters with the help of the Department Social Welfare and Development.
Sulaiman cited the GAB’s move to acquire portable CT-scan machines so that boxers could undergo thorough brain examinations before and after matches.
“This is a trailblazing move and the first in the history of world pro boxing,” Mitra quoted Sulaiman as saying, adding that Dr. Paul Wallace, the WBC and California State Athletic Commission medical chief, noted that this made the GAB “way ahead of the game.”
