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I Be Felonious (IBF)
15 Rounds by Steve Kim (September 6, 2002)

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It was just this past March that featherweight Juan Manuel Marquez earned the top spot in the International Boxing Federation rankings by stopping Robbie Peden. Now Marquez finds himself not only out of the top spot, but out of the IBF's rankings completely.

His crime? He's taking on In Jin Chi on October 5th for the top spot in the WBC rankings.

Also, it seems Marquez is being moved out of the way to allow the current IBF featherweight champion Johnny Tapia to defend his title against Marco Antonio Barrera on November 2nd. And in addition to making Marquez dissapear from it's rankings, Barrera now jumps all the way to number two, despite never facing anyone in the IBF's top ten. The IBF has rules that forbid fighters from moving up the rankings through attrition, inactivity or losing.

Also, in order to get up that high, fighters, must defeat other fighters ranked in the IBF top ten. By their own rules and regulations, Barrera should not be occupying the position he is now currently in.

Sources tell MaxBoxing.com that Top Rank, which promotes Marquez, has been corresponding with the IBF about this situation and threatening legal action if Marquez is not restored as the organization's number one contender.

What's even more head-scratching about this situation is that in the past Angel Vasquez and Victor Polo have squared off not only for the IBF eliminator, but also the WBA top spot simultaneously. And after downing Vasquez, Polo would then fight for Derrick Gainer's WBA title.

Also, this past June, the IBF had sanctioned an elimination bout between Evander Holyfield and Hasim Rahman, which was also a WBA eliminator.

The IBF has told Top Rank that if Marquez's bout with Chi is not a WBC eliminator then they would put Marquez back to his old ranking. Only problem with that is, they shouldn't have taken him out to begin with.

The organization never notified Top Rank that they were to begin negotiations for a Tapia-Marquez bout, in fact it was on August 27th that they found out that Marquez had been expunged from the ratings. Which just happens to be 60 days from when Tapia's mandatory defense was due on October 27th. The IBF gives notice of it's mandatory defenses being due, 60 days in advance.

According to our sources, the Tapia's have been notified twice that their mandatory defense would be due on October 27th. And under their own rules (which they seem to make up or interpret anyway they want as they go along), if Tapia has not defended his IBF belt or asked and received an exception from their executive committee, he should be stripped of his title. Of course, you get the feeling that Tapia will be given this exception when he gets around to asking for it - which from what MaxBoxing hears, he hasn't done so far.

As for Marquez, he will be going through with his bout with Chi one way or another. The fact he's taking this bout does make him 'unavailable' for a title shot, but it shouldn't completely erase him from the IBF rankings. And he certainly shouldn't be arbitrarily be moved around like a chess piece that happens to be in the way of a bout the IBF yearns to sanction.

Aren't these guys being monitored or something?

NOVEMBER 2ND

Scheduled to appear on the Barrera-Tapia undercard is 2000 Olympian Ricardo Williams, who is regarded as one of the game's best prospects.

Names like Terron Millett, Dorin Spivey, Michael Steward, Juan Carlos Rubio and Miguel Figuerora are being tossed around for the young jr. welterweight out of Cincy.

RUMOR MILL

The latest rumor making the grapevine is that Don King paid Lennox Lewis a million bucks and a Range Rover to drop his IBF title - King just happens to promote both Chris Byrd and Evander Holyfield, who will be fighting for the vacant title.

If this is true, it beats just throwing your belt in a garbage can for nothing. Especially in light of the fact that Lewis probably wasn't going to face Byrd ever anyway.

FIRM OR FAIR?

Sorry, but I disagree with the selection of Joe Cortez as the third man in the ring for next weeks bout between Fernando Vargas and Oscar De La Hoya.

Forget all the talk from Duva Boxing and the Kirk Johnson's people, Cortez isn't biased, just flat-out slipping as a world-class official in my opinion.

It's time a young guy like Kenny Bayliss gets his shot at the big time.

For Questions or Comments
E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com

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