Newsbits

 Royce Gracie - RITC - Vovchanchyn - WBC

Royce Gracie

Former UFC champion Royce Gracie has issued a letter on his website to all his fans addressing the

current situation regarding DSE and his bout with Akebono on K-1's Dynamite card on December 31st. Go

to http://www.roycegracie.tv/index_enter.htm to read his letter.

Rage in the Cage

RITC has postponed their event scheduled for December 16th in Tempe, Arizona. The next event is now

being planned for January of 2005 at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.

Igor Vovchanchyn

According to the Russian website valetudo.ru, PRIDE FC veteran Igor Vovchanchyn defeated Sergey

Terezimov in a super fight this past Friday, December 3rd by first round submission (foot) at the Sports

Palace in Kiev, Ukraine.

WBC

The following is a press release issued by the WBC (with a little editing from us):

THE WBC announces its: All Africa World Championships

The WBC deems that the new championships will be considered among the most popular titles by all fans

world-wide, given the fact that nowadays bright fighters of African descent are dominating the boxing scene

in every continent.

Amongst the many projects of the World Boxing Council for 2005, one of them stands out for its important

implications: the brand new "All Africa World Championships."

These titles could be inaugurated with the fight between ex world superfeather champ Floyd Mayweather,

of USA, and Puerto Rican Henry Bruseles on January 22nd.

This bout will be also a final elimination to find the official challenger to the current world superlight

champion, Canadian Arturo Gatti.

Mayweather is 27 and undefeated in 32 bouts (21 by KO); Bruseles is 24 and with 21 wins (13 by KO),

2 defeats and 1 draw.

The WBC deems that the new championships will be considered among the most popular titles by all fans

world-wide, given the fact that nowadays bright fighters of African descent are dominating the boxing scene

in every continent.

Participants in these championships could be selected among boxers of African descent, regardless of

where they were born or live. Boxers living in Africa, regardless of their race will also be included.

Had such titles existed in the past, many bright boxers of African descent would have participated, like Jack

Johnson, Joe Gans, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, Larry

Holmes, Mike Tyson, Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Marvin Hagler, and some of the current champions

and world rated fighters like Bernard Hopkins, Ronald Wright y Cory Spinks, among others.

Current world champions of African descent will be excluded from these titles in order to give opportunities to

promising prospects.

Dates\cards subject to change

  (12/9/04)