Eubank happy to be in picture

Bob Mee
Saturday 22 July 1995 23:02 BST
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GIVEN that the proliferation of governing bodies and of television coverage of championship fights have gone hand in hand, it is significant that as the British Boxing Board of Control presses for a neutral world assembly to oversee the sport, Sky Sports have agreed to broadcast a non- title programme on Saturday.

Chris Eubank's fight against Jose Ignacio Barruetabena at Whitley Bay ice-rink carries no championship tag. Nor does the companion 10-rounder involving Scotland's Paul Weir.

Boxing has become an extremely complicated business, with a ridiculous number of governing bodies. The British Board has been forced to recognise four: the World Boxing Council, the World Boxing Association, the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organisation.

For the last 15 years, television executives have shown a reluctance to cover fights that do not have a marketable title tag. It does not matter much what it is, as long as they can sell it to the viewer as a championship contest. At the same time, boxing's television success has increased the appetite of the television companies and so encouraged the development of the sanctioning bodies.

This situation has led to some absurd manoeuvring. The most recent example concerned Barry Hearn's Matchroom organisation and Eurosport. At Basildon on 13 June, Michael Alldis, of Crawley, and Laureano Ramirez, of the Dominican Republic, boxed for the WBO's Inter-Continental 8st 10lbs cham- pionship. Ramirez beat Alldis, but relinquished the title so that on another Matchroom promotion, screened by Eurosport, at Liverpool on 30 June, the same belt could be disputed by Richie Wenton, of Liverpool, and Michael Parris, of Guyana.

John Morris, the British Board's secretary, confirmed to me a clause was written into the contracts of both Alldis and Ramirez that the winner would hand back the championship immediately. Sky's decision to screen two non-title fights is a positive step to counteract this kind of thing - and suggests that television executives may at last be ready for a change of direction.

As for the Eubank- Barruetabena fight, a victory for Eubank seems a formality. He gives the impression that this is a mere incidental on the way to his rematch with Ireland's Steve Collins on 9 September. The chance to regain his WBO super-middleweight title has become something of a mission for him.

It is unlikely that Barruetabena, a 23-year-old from Santander, will spoil the plans. Although he has won 18 of his 19 contests, most of those have been as a light-middleweight, where he was a light puncher.

Eubank, a world-class boxer when he wants to be, has fought a higher level of opponent throughout his career and shows no sign of fading. He should win as he pleases.

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