The British Board has been forced to recognise four: the World Boxing Council, the World Boxing Association, the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organisation.For the last 15 years, television executives have shown a reluctance to cover fights that do not have a marketable title tag. Nor does the companion 10-rounder involving Scotland’s Paul Weir.
Boxing has become an extremely complicated business, with a ridiculous number of governing bodies. Chris Eubank’s fight against Jose Ignacio Barruetabena at Whitley Bay ice-rink carries no championship tag. GIVEN that the proliferation of governing bodies and of television coverage of championship fights have gone hand in hand, it is significant that as the British Boxing Board of Control presses for a neutral world assembly to oversee the sport, Sky Sports have agreed to broadcast a non- title programme on Saturday. Achilles and heel injuries are stopping her hurdling this summer.Although the selectors have said that all athletes named for the world championships must have proved their fitness by tomorrow, Jacqui Agyepong (100m hurdles) and the triple jumper Ashia Hansen, who have pulled out of today’s meeting, hope to have the time limit extended by two more days.. A verdict of “not proven” may in the end be the only logical outcome.In the meantime, Britain’s world championship team will be hoping for no further withdrawals after today’s meeting.

With Colin Jackson and Du’aine Ladejo the latest injury victims, pressure will be on Gunnell who runs a flat 400m and may consider offering to compete in that event in Gothenburg. Yet explaining why she had a huge level of the male hormone testosterone in the first sample, is still something the appeal committee must take into consideration as a priority.Tampering seems to have been ruled out, but a natural change in the chemical structure has not Nor has the possibility of naturally produced testosterone. Information and supporting paperwork from the University of Lisbon, where the tests were carried out, has been at best slow to materialise and to some extent never been fully provided. Not that any further samples should be any different from the first, except possibly if time has lapsed between the tests. That could be the crux of the appeal.The procedure in the testing of Modahl’s samples is crucial to her appeal. Officials of the IAAF have made it clear that they want to see a guilty verdict confirmed in order to vindicate their dope testing system.By agreeing to allow a third sample to be tested, the BAF has already given a hint of disquiet. If she wins, the whole drugs procedure will be open to criticism.

The British Athletic Federation now wants more time to examine the latest evidence that could have come about since tests were recently carried out on a third sample.
Whether Modahl finally wins or loses, the sport will be thrown back into turmoil. Should the appeal committee support the original findings and confirm her suspension, athletics will again find itself under suspicion and fighting to convince the public that this was an isolated incident. After months of delay, mainly caused by Modahl’s lawyers’ seeking further medical evidence and trying to obtain missing documentation from the Portuguese authorities who carried out the original test, there could well be another setback. But after the Bupa International at the Don Valley Stadium, in Sheffield, is over tonight the troubles will return.

After the past week’s rows over world championship team selection, tomorrow brings potentially the biggest controversy of the year when Diane Modahl is scheduled to begin her appeal against a four- year suspension for using drugs. THERE should be some respite from the controversy for British athletics today when for the first time this season Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell appear together on home soil. In securing those futures it may also have changed the structure of British athletics for ever.. Barrett’s link with Christie was forged when she worked for APA, which retains the BAF account as “sponsorship consultants” and agents for their publicity.Originally it was thought that Nuff Respect would expand and represent a large number of British and foreign athletes but that has not happened. The organisation has remained small but profitable, tending to confirm the original view that it was set up mainly to secure the futures of its little cluster of stars. That remains the reason why Nuff Respect still has only a handful of athletes in its care. Christie, the world and Olympic champion, and Jackson were in such demand that she could hardly fail.

Norman had been a big influence on Christie in the athlete’s early wayward days, but finally a rift occurred when he and Regis did not appear at a meeting in Stockholm after Norman had guaranteed their presence.At about the time of the split, Barrett, who had been working for Alan Pascoe Associates, appeared on the list of BAF approved agents. Her lack of experience at the top level of wheeling and dealing hardly mattered. Until last summer, Christie had continued to pay glowing tributes to Norman, whose sacking followed accusations that he had contributed to the mental torment of the athletics writer Cliff Temple, who committed suicide early in 1994. The company began to sort out deals with foreign promoters and negotiate with the BAF, which in the meantime had undergone some significant changes, not least the appointment of Radford. He immediately made it clear that he was in favour of spreading athletics’ income more widely than was the case in the Norman days. At the time it appeared that losing Britain’s top two male athletes would substantially curtail Norman’s attempt to re-establish himself, but time will tell.As Norman’s star fell, Christie and Jackson were joined at Nuff Respect by John Regis and Tony Jarrett.