Robert Lee Sr., the IBF founder and president, is on paid leave. U.S. District Judge John Bissell has yet to decide if a monitor is warranted. He asked each sides to submit three names of potential monitors by Dec. 30. If installed, the IBF would become the first sports group with a monitor, a racketeering remedy that has been imposed only a dozen times, mainly against mob-riddled labor unions. The judge retained the spending limits he imposed last month on the IBF after determining the government had a strong case.
Rankings play a big role in determining fights and purses for boxers.
He has pleaded innocent to all charges. He was in court Wednesday but did not comment. Lee said he needed to devote his energy to his defense and his health, He had heart surgery Dec. 13. Secretly recorded tapes show Lee taking a bribe and talking about payoffs, Braunreuther said. They also show he made the sham appointment of his nephew, Daryl Peoples, to the ranking committee to replace chairman Doug Beavers.