Rogan Offered the chance to fight for the WBU belt in America

Press Release Alex McGreevy

Irish heavyweight star Martin Rogan has been invited to challenge for the WBU title
in the United States after the British Boxing Board of Control this week
refused to recognise the organisation and allow Rogan fight for its belt in
Belfast next month.

Rogan had been scheduled to face Panamanian Luis Andres Pineda at the Odyssey Arena
on October 27 but on Thursday the Belfast-born fighter was informed by the UK’s
governing body for boxing that it would not sanction the contest.

He has now been invited to the United States to contest the WBU heavyweight title
by the organisation’s chairman Dan ‘Moose’ Lewis.
Devastated Rogan, who had himself paid licence fees to promote the October 27 show, was last night considering switching his title aim to the US, possibly in Boston, home of Irish heavyweight Kevin McBride, or Atlanta Georgia, home of Dan ‘Moose’ Lewis.

In a statement, Lewis said: “The title fight featuring Martin Rogan of Belfast will
take place in the United States by year’s end. Due to the British Boxing Board
of Control’s (BBBofC) decision to not reinstate the WBU as a recognised sanctioning
body, the only viable alternative is to stage the event in the USA.”
Lewis said he had worked tirelessly for the past three years to restructure the WBU
and continue its lineage after its founder passed away.

He added: “I am disappointed with the decision of the BBBofC to not reinstate
recognition of the WBU and do not fully understand its decision. As everyone
knows, politics and underhandedness plays a huge part of who receives the opportunity
to fight for a World title.

“How they could deny Martin Rogan the chance of a lifetime to become the first true
Irish World Heavyweight champion in history mystifies me. The fans in Ireland
want this and Mr Rogan has jumped through all the rings to get to this point.

For an interesting look into the good the bad and the ugly of the WBU and other belts look at this story by Steve Wellings:http://www.irish-boxing.com/2011/09/irish-boxing-the-sanctioning-bodies%e2%80%99-latest-battleground/