Documents Show Third-Party Consultant Who Allegedly Paid For WBA Rankings

The WBA is in the spotlight again — not with good headlines. 

A 242-page deposition revealed a questionable relationship between boxing promoters and consultants they pay to move fighters within WBA rankings. 

The lawsuit — which was brought forwarded by a former employee of boxing promoter Greg Cohen and his firm Greg Cohen Promotions – regards Clifford Mass, who claims he paid $250,000 to invest in Cohen’s promotion and receive $72,000 per annum.  

Mass was disappointed, and sued Cohen to recoup his money. 

But the documents also shed light on GCP’s relationship with Florida-based business Sports Consulting Services (SCS) and SCS’ relationship with the World Boxing Association, which is one of the four major sanctioning bodies in boxing. 

GCP paid $17,250 to SCS. Cohen described it as: “an international company that works very closely with the [sport’s] sanctioning bodies.” 

“They are an advocate and lobbyist on behalf of various boxers, promoters, and managers,” he said in sworn testimony. 

But the findings also indicate that SCS is controlled or managed by those who are employed or closely associated with the WBA, which is ran by President Gilberto Mendoza Jr.  

Of the two apparent WBA employees are Zailuby Cuba, who is reportedly identified as a social media manager for the WBA on her LinkedIn, and son of Mendoza, Alfredo. He is listed as an authorized person for the LLC when it was first registered in 2018. 

The documents also could go hand-in-hand with German heavyweight Mahmoud Charr’s multi-million-dollar lawsuit against veteran promoter Don King, who Charr accuses of making payments to the WBA.  

It argues that SCS was the third-party to process the payments from King to the WBA. 

“The WBA’s decision and rankings are frequently the result of illicit deals between WBA officials and promoters, ‘fixers’ and others who provide economic incentives to WBA officials in exchange for the WBA issuing favorable decisions or higher rankings for their fighters,” the complaint reads.  

“These illicit deals are executed in many forms: In some cases, promoters and ‘fixers’’ make payments (or provide things of value) directly to WBA officials. In other instances, promoters and “fixers” will disguise such economic incentives as ‘donations’ or ‘gifts’ to third-parties, which in turn launder these incentives to WBA officials.” 

This all violates the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which was signed into law on May 26, 2000 to protect the rights and welfare of boxers.