Top IBF Officials to Face Charges

The troubled sport of boxing suffered another black eye Thursday when the president of the International Boxing Federation and three of his top executives were indicted on federal racketeering charges, accused of taking bribes to fix rankings.

Bob Lee Sr. and the key executives--including his son, Bob Jr.--received $338,000 in illegal payments from promoters and managers over a 13-year period, the U.S. attorney’s office in Newark, N.J., said.

The alleged payments most often came in increments of $1,000 to $25,000. Sometimes IBF officials gave boxers a better standing and, thus, a better shot at lucrative bouts. Other times, they allegedly manipulated the rankings to benefit titleholders.

In one such incident, in 1995, the defendants received $100,000 from George Foreman’s promoter, according to federal documents and a source close to the investigation. In return, Foreman was granted an exemption to bypass quality opponents and defend his heavyweight title against previously unranked Axel Schulz.

“In the IBF, rankings were bought, not earned,” First Assistant U.S. Atty. Robert J. Cleary said. “The defendants completely corrupted the IBF ranking system.”

The 32-count indictment includes allegations of conspiracy, mail fraud and money laundering. Also named were Donald Brennan, a veteran IBF official, and Francisco Fernandez of Colombia, who served as an IBF representative in South America.

“I’m innocent of these outrageous charges,” the elder Lee said after being released on $100,000 bond.

The indictments stem from a two-year investigation by a federal grand jury in Newark, just miles from IBF offices in East Orange.

The grand jury subpoenaed IBF records on rankings, contracts, checks, invoices and phone calls dating back more than a decade, said Walter Stone, the federation’s lawyer.

As one of three major sanctioning bodies--along with the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Assn.--the IBF ranks fighters in every weight category. The rankings are valuable because they determine which boxers get big-money fights and which get left out in the cold.

In Mexico City, WBC President Jose Sulaiman told the Associated Press the indictment “is indeed shocking and it might hurt the image of boxing.” Sulaiman denied any personal knowledge of improper payments.

But in an article published in The Times last May, longtime manager and promoter Ron Weathers made allegations of widespread corruption.

“It’s just common knowledge that if you want to get something done, you have got to grease their palms,” Weathers said of all the sanctioning bodies. “Either $10,000 or $20,000, depending on where you want the guy rated.”

Weathers, an advisor to Foreman for many years, added: “They don’t call you up and openly solicit you. You have to approach them.”

The IBF indictment detailed numerous instances of payments but concealed the identities of promoters, managers and boxers, referring to them by numbers instead. The alleged bribes began shortly after the IBF was formed in 1984 and involved 10 of the 15 weight categories, with more money being paid in the heavier classes.

Many of the payments were made in cash, Cleary said. But, the prosecutor added, “There’s about $157,000 in checks and those were subject to money laundering.”

As the elder Lee appeared in court Thursday, Bob Jr. was arrested at his Scotch Plains home and was being held in connection with a separate drug charge.

Brennan was scheduled to appear in a Virginia court. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Fernandez, who goes by the aliases “Pancho” and “Pacho” and is believed to be in Colombia.

The four men stand accused of participating in 32 separate incidents of illegal payments, prosecutors said. Each faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

“Professional boxing is built on the ranking system,” Cleary said. “Selling the ratings system to the highest bidders erodes the image of boxing and deceives the public.”

The investigation of the IBF began shortly after Foreman fought Schulz, when heavyweight contender Michael Moorer filed a civil lawsuit claiming his ranking suffered “as a result of bribes” paid on behalf of other boxers.

Foreman, who appeared before the grand jury in April, has denied ever making an improper payment. Moorer ultimately settled his suit and got a shot at the title, beating Schulz in June 1996.

But the federal investigation proceeded and a controversial draw between heavyweights Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis only heightened concern about the sport.

The Senate recently approved the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act meant to protect boxers from unscrupulous promoters and managers. The bill, spearheaded by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would require organizers of major bouts to disclose financial information and inform state boxing commissions of charges, costs and fees deducted from boxers’ purses. A companion bill is working its way through the House.

In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the Florida offices of promoter Don King last June, seizing boxes of records.

Cleary would not say whether the raid was connected to the grand jury investigation, nor would he comment on possible indictments of promoters, managers or boxers involved in improper payments.

“The investigation is continuing,” the New Jersey prosecutor said. “Wherever it takes us, that’s where it takes us.”

No such uncertainty remains in regard to the IBF, which has closely watched the proceedings for many months.

“In a way, it’s a relief because you get rid of the anxiety,” Stone, the federation’s attorney, said. “At least now we’re putting this thing out in the open.”