The Eight Count: Vitali Klitschko For President, RIP Antonio Cermeno

Is it already Friday? So it is. Here’s what we’re reading at Stiff Jab  headquarters:

1) This story about the first “cutwoman” in The UFC is well-worth a read. After eight years of preparation, research, and unpaid practice, Swayze Valentine participated in UFC 170 in Las Vegas. Her journey to the octagon hasn’t been easy:

“Then there were the struggles of being a woman in a man’s sport. Valentine said she has been physically assaulted by a manager, not let in the cage by security guards and banished from dressing rooms by fighters.”

2) Many fight fans and boxers are on Twitter, and most wish for the magic blue check mark. The latest to be verified? None other than Muhammad Ali, who chose the 50th anniversary of his fight with Sonny Liston to tweet:

“I shook up the world against Liston, now 50 years later I’m taking it to Twitter.”

Note: any tweet hashtagged “#AliTweet” is from the man himself. What are you waiting for– follow him already!

3) The Nevada Athletic Commission voted Thursday to ban testosterone replacement therapy, commonly known as “TRT”. Many in the sport (including Doc Octagon) felt that fighters were getting over by claiming they needed TRT due to their low testosterone levels.

“There is also a prevailing opinion in the medical world, testified to by commission doctors at Thursday’s meeting, that many cases of low testosterone in fighters were caused by prior use of performance-enhancing drugs.”

[[MORE]]Good for Nevada. May other regulatory bodies follow their lead.

4) On the local tip, our friend Gary “Digital” Williams over at Boxing Along the Beltway has the bout sheet for week two of the Washington Golden Gloves tournament, which goes down on March 1 at the Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Center in Palmer Park, Md.

5) Some tragic news out of Venezuela, where former bantam- and featherweight title-holder Antonio Cermeno, 44, was found murdered after he was kidnapped in Caracas:

“The murder comes as the nation is gripped by a wave of anti-government protests over its high crime rates. Venezuela has the fifth highest murder rate in the world, and insecurity and crime are rife in many urban centres.”

6) And in humiliating news, Floyd Mayweather Jr. sonned Amir Khan by bypassing him in favor of Marcus “El Chino” Maidana for his May 3rd fight. Khan is not pleased:

“Mayweather caused controversy when he urged his fans to vote on Twitter to decide between Khan and Maidana and a statement from promoters Golden Boy and Mayweather Promotions suggested the thoughts of his fans had played a part in the 37-year-old’s decision.”

7) While Wladimir Klitschko bores fight fans to the point of frustration, his brother Vitali (top) is gearing up to run for President of the embattled nation of Ukraine.

“The 6-foot-7 father of three, known as Dr. Ironfist for his achievements in the ring and the academic arena, has been a leading light in the opposition movement, which spent months protesting against Yanukovych’s decision to steer the country toward closer ties with Russia instead of a trade pact with the European Union.

Klitschko negotiated with the government in a bid to prevent the bloodshed as the protests erupted into deadly clashes.”

8) Ending on an uglier note, former Olympic Gold medalist and Hall of Famer Pernell Whitaker won a court case against his own mother, which will lead to her eviction from the home he bought her back in 1984, when he was still rich. Whitaker characterized the court ruling against his 73-year old parent as “a beautiful moment”. Ugh.