The World Boxing Council has taken pride in awarding its prestigious green and gold championship belts to newly-crowned champions Daniel Ponce De Leon and Robert Guerrero who were former WBO champions.
The awarding ceremony took place in Mexico City and then belts were presented by Victor Cota, public relations director of the WBC.
In handing out the belts to Ponce De Leon and Guerrero, Cota said ?They were champions from WBO titles who now won the titles of the World Boxing Council, the most prestigious organization in the sport of fists.?
In his response Ponce De Leon admitted ?I sought this belt for years challenging Jhonny Gonzalez, Oscar Larios and Israel Vasquez and now I have it in my hands and expect to defend it against the best and I will do my best to keep it.?
Ponce De Leon is best remembered by Filipino fight fans for his 1st round TKO victory over Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista in a battle for the WBO super bantamweight title in the Philippines vs Mexico ?World Cup of Boxing? on August 11, 2007 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California which the Philippines won 5-1 with the only Mexican winner being De Leon.
Gonzalez fromn whom Ponce De Leon won the WBC featherweight title also lost his WBO bantamweight crown by a stunning 7th round knockout to two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa on the same fight card.
Guerrero who at one time was itching for a fight against eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao was also proud to hold the scepter of the WBC as he waits for an opportunity to face Floyd Mayweather Jr or Timothy Bradley next year and may even wait for an opportunity against WBC middleweight champion Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez.
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