Anwar Chowdhry, 88, Controversial Boxing Federation Chief

(ATR) Despite an inglorious end to his presidency of AIBA and lifetime banishment from the sport, the international boxing federation still plans to commemorate Anwar Chowdhry, who died June 19 in Pakistan after a long illness.

Chowdhry was ousted from his seat in 2006 in a close vote won by current AIBA President C.K. Wu, who campaigned as a reformer and whose election possibly prevented boxing’s removal from the Olympic program.

“I would like to convey my heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr Anwar Chowdry,” says Wu in a statement.

“Mr Chowdry served AIBA for 20 years in different positions and contributed most of his life to the development of the sport of boxing. AIBA will hold aceremony in recognition of his efforts towards AIBA and the sport of boxing during the upcoming AIBA Congress in November,” says the AIBA president.

Chowdhry left office after 20 years under a cloud of financial irregularities and mismanagement that had drawn the attention of the IOC. In 2004, IOC President Jacques Rogge notified Chowdhry that nearly $1 million due to AIBA from its share of TV revenues from Athens would be withheld until reforms were enacted at the federation.

Wu initiated a housecleaning at AIBA after taking office in 2006, changing headquarters staff in Lausanne, instituting administrative changes and encouraging the election of new AIBA officials not beholden to Chowdhry.

Unsuccessful were efforts to repatriate hundreds of thousands of dollars which AIBA auditors indicated were improperly spent by Chowdhry. He was banned for life from AIBA activities as a result.

An engineer by training, Chowdhry became involved with boxing through the Pakistan Boxing Federation, which he led for 33 years until 2008.

He became an AIBA vice president in 1966, secretary general in 1974 and president in 1986.

His first Olympics as AIBA president were marked with controversy with a corrupt decision by judges that awarded the gold medal to Korean boxer Si Hun Park despite being out-punched by U.S. medalist Roy Jones. Judges were suspendedwhen it was revealed they had received gifts and other emoluments from Korean officials to sway their decisions to Korean boxers at the Seoul Olympics.

Chowdhry’s tenure was marked with continued controversy and suspicions that he was hand-picking judges and referees, casting doubts on the integrity of the sport. An AIBA judge from Asia who began as a junior official during the Chowdhry reign tells Around the Rings he regarded Chowdhry as “iron-fisted”.

The IOC decision to withhold money from boxing in 2004 and with it the threat that boxing could be knocked out of the Olympics, set the stage for Chowdhry’s bitter fight to remain AIBA president in 2006.

The vote was close, 82 for Wu, 78 for Chowdhry, revealing a federation deeply divided between the old and new. Since then, Wu appears to have eliminated that divide and moved AIBA into a new era.

Chowdhry is survived by three daughters and a number of grandchildren.

Written by Ed Hula.