Honorable David Picasso would NEVER be involved in gloves tampering!

WBC Silver super- bantamweight champion Alan David Picasso continues winning and advancing in his stellar career. 

 Last Friday, Picasso defeated Yeison Vargas in the second round in Hermosillo, Sonora, improving his record to 26-0-1, 15 knockouts.

Towards the end of the second round, Picasso landed a left hook to the body, followed by a left hook to the head that sent Vargas to the canvas. Vargas beat the count, but the fight was wisely and mercifully  stopped at 2:19.

Picasso, 23, arrived to this fight after defeating Sabelo Ngebinyana in the sixth round in CDMX to win the WBC super bantamweight silver crown.

Picasso is currently a distinguished student at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where he studies neuroscience. He is promoted by the Zanfer Boxing company. 

However, what was supposed to be a night of celebration for the Mexican was overshadowed by strong statements from Vargas’ manager, who through a video published on Social Networks accused David Picasso and his team of a very serious offense “Glove Manipulation.”

For this reason, today at Coffee Tuesday WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman addressed this issue .

Mauricio Sulaiman

 “This video began to circulate and spread quickly through the social media. Even though this was not a WBC absolute title fight, it involved the silver champion, who is one of the first ranked fighters in our Ratings. For this reason, we took immediate action on the matter. We spoke with the local Commission, with witnesses, with David Picasso and many others involved in order to investigate what happened.

“This accusation was a very serious one. The World Boxing Council has been campaigning against glove manipulation for many years.  This practice is a cowardly and criminal act,  since it threatens the health of the rival. Social Networks are a weapon that can be used for good or evil.

“We are going to go to the final consequences, as manipulating gloves and bandages is a criminal act. The accusations towards this practice must be very responsible as those were made are very serious. Not only the quality of Cleto Reyes is questioned, but also the moral integrity of a young fighter who has always been distinguished by his honorability.

“We strongly denounce this accusation, which was also an attempted extortion to all the authorities in Latin America. We share with you this video, which will allow you to have a greater perspective about the foundations of this investigation that is still ongoing.

Also in attendance at this conference was Alberto Reyes, from Cleto Reyes, and he shared Cleto Reyes’ official position.

 “As always, we join in fully respecting the procedures and regulations of the authorities that regulate boxing and contact sports; We join the promotion of good practices that honors absolute respect for boxers, fans and all those involved in boxing.

“We have carefully reviewed the video circulating on social networks published by Mr. Ángel David Villegas Rosado where he shows one of the two pairs of gloves that were customized for David Picasso; We clearly see the manipulation of the gloves, where he is intentionally observed squeezing and stretching them, trying to show a very thin padding that does not correspond to our gloves. We know that this video was made after the fight, showing the gloves that were not used in the fight, which Mr. Ángel Villegas took without authorization, violating the instructions of the Boxing, Wrestling and Professional MMA Commission of the State of Sonora when the gloves were under their protection. 

“Furthermore, we note that in that and another video published on networks in “Boxeo de Colombia” it is shown how the padding is lowered, significantly altering the original structure of the gloves, to show the hitting area without the original padding, leaving only the polyurethane layer.

“We frequently customize gloves for boxers, brand ambassadors, personalities, and media authorities; but we clarify that these customizations solely and exclusively consist of combinations of special colors, as well as designs and printing of names on the leather. Each and every one of our gloves is manufactured with the same characteristics authorized by the organizations in charge of regulating professional boxing and with strict quality control. The padding of the glove model used by David Picasso; lasts 30 rounds in optimal conditions for the protection of both fighters. 

“It has a label on the inside of the glove with the “round control” as established by the World Boxing Council; where each boxing supervisor or commissioner is responsible for marking the gloves with the number of rounds they were used. However, if the glove is deliberately exposed to an alteration in its original composition; like the one seen in the video; cushioning may lose resilience; but never to the degree shown in the video. Hence the importance that the gloves that will be used in combat are always under the protection of the authorities, to prevent them from being manipulated by third parties. 

“We appreciate your attention to this and reiterate our permanent commitment to providing boxers with the best quality in each of our products.”

David who himself arrived as the event was concluding to talk with President Sulaiman, was clearly shocked and saddened by these accusations. He is known, admired and respected for his affability, decency, sportsmanship and total professionalism.