Champions of Dignity Association [C.O.D.A.]
is proud to present the boxing community with a new sanctioning body.
Their mission is to give back to the boxers who made this sport what it is
today. C.O.D.A. has an alliance with the Retired Boxers Foundation Inc.
which will help provide retired boxers with the help that they need as well as
educate the new generation of boxers. This sanctioning body is about boxers
helping boxers, bringing unity to the sport as well as providing for a better
future. 100% of are sanctioning fees are donated to The Retired Boxers
Foundation. C.O.D.A. takes no percentage of the boxers purse. Of
course boxers are free to make a tax-deductable donation to the Retired Boxers
Foundation.
Retired professional boxers—many
of them legends—will supervise the fights and receive a supervisor fee for their
work. Many will donate all or part of their fees to the RBF, and those that do
not, are the ones that need the financial assistance. Definitely a “win-win”
situation. By donating to the RBF, the concept unifies the mission of C.O.D.A.
to support and give back to the retired fighters who make this sport what it is,
and the RBF mission of “assisting retired professional boxers in the transition
from their glorious days in the ring, to a dignified retirement.” This
sanctioning body is about “boxers helping boxers,” bringing unity to the sport
as well as providing for a better future.
C.O.D.A. will only have a world
title to be won. But they also will introduce an honorary title: “The Undisputed
Champion Of Dignity” title/award. If boxer, or his/her promoter, donates 2500
USD or more to the RBF to help boxers in need, the winner receives this
specially designed belt. This belt can never be lost. This belt makes a
statement that the athletes of today respect those who came before them and want
to acknowledge the retired athletes.
C.O.D.A.'s male ratings will be
Boxrec-based. (computerized). Marcel Niessen said, "We feel Boxrec.com has
good up-to-date ratings, and more importantly unbiased ratings. Unfortunately,
their female ratings are not as accurate as we would like them to be. I have
personally found too many errors and I have been involved in women’s boxing for
a long time. Probably not BoxRec.com’s fault, but more what has been reported
(incorrectly) to them. Since we have people on our board who are widely
respected, true experts in women’s boxing, we will compile those ratings
ourselves with me being responsible for oversight and the final roster of
qualified female fighters."
"We have an excellent board of
people who really care for the sport of boxing and the RBF. We are all very
close and try to do our best to change the sport of boxing for the better. All
of our representatives are former professional boxers and they form a great
team. It was fantastic to see these former boxers united for the cause. None of
them are in it for personal gain. They all do it for the cause. I would like to
mention them all, in random order, as they are equally important to us. They
need no introduction as they boxing insiders will surely know who they are! We
have Victor Aquilina, Milton McCrory, Wayne McCullough, Azumah Nelson, Terri
Moss, Marischa Sjauw, Joe Clough, Jose Antonio Rivera, John Davis Jackson, Tim
Witherspoon, Donny Lalonde, Laura Serrano, Michael Bentt, Juan Laporte, Brett
Summers and Jerry Cheatham. Besides these wonderful people we have an excellent
advisory board consisting of Dave Tiberi and “Colonel” Bob Sheridan. Note: Bob
Sheridan is recovering from a stroke and we wish him a speedy and full recovery.
We are truly honored to have these people on board! I also feel we have a great
board of directors. Alex “The Bronx Bomber” Ramos and Jacquie Richardson, the
heart and soul of the RBF, and Ray Chener, who is our visual media specialist as
well. They all do a fantastic job on the RBF for many years and use the same
energy to try and make the C.O.D.A into a success. We have the talent and
certainly the heart to make changes in the sport of boxing", added Niessen.
[Link to C.O.D.A. -
http://www.codaboxing.com]
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