Judge ends court-appointed supervision of IBF

— -- NEWARK, N.J. -- For the first time in nearly five years, theInternational Boxing Federation is operating without acourt-appointed monitor.

U.S. District Judge John W. Bissell on Wednesday ended thesupervision he had imposed on the sanctioning organization afterfederal authorities moved against the group and its founder in1999, charging that rankings could be bought.

"What we all hope for here ... is an entity that, as it has inrecent years, represents the best interests of its members,"Bissell said after signing papers ending the monitorship.

The conclusion of the case came quietly, with only threespectators -- all news reporters -- in the courtroom. IBF lawyerLinda P. Torres and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Chagares signedan 11-page agreement and passed it to Bissell for his signature.

That was in contrast to a trial in 2000 that included testimonyfrom some of boxing's biggest names, including promoters Bob Arumand Cedric Kushner, who contended that routine payoffs were theprice of doing business with the East Orange, N.J.-based IBF.

The trial ended with founder Robert W. Lee Sr. convicted oncounts of tax evasion, money laundering and racketeering butacquitted of the charges at the heart of the case: Taking bribesfrom promoters and managers to give high rankings to their boxers.Lee agreed to a lifetime ban from boxing and this summer beganserving his 22-month sentence, but is appealing the verdicts.

The consent decree signed Wednesday states that the IBF hasimplemented a "fair and honest ratings system" that includesgrievance rights for boxers.

After a four-year undercover FBI probe, prosecutors charged in1999 that Lee made bribery part of his operation almost as soon ashe organized the IBF in 1983 after failing to be elected leader ofthe World Boxing Association, another major sanctioning body.

A jury deliberated for 15 days before convicting Lee on lessercounts and acquitting his son on all nine counts against him.Jurors said they were uneasy about the prosecution's key witness,C. Douglas Beavers, the longtime chairman of the IBF ratingscommittee and ousted Virginia boxing commissioner who became aninformant with immunity.