Boxing committee told to take responsibility for Alfa's death
JAKARTA (JP): Former state minister of youth affairs and sports Mahadi Sinambela and legislator Ferdiansyah called on the Indonesian Boxing Committee (KTI) to take full responsibility for the death of professional boxer Muhammad Alfaridzhi.
"The KTI and the Indonesian Professional Sports Development Board (Bapopi) failed to supervise the bout ... it could have been prevented if the KTI had a regulation on medical checkups prior to fights," Mahadi told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview.
"The KTI should be the ultimate body which decides if a boxer is capable of fighting based on his medical record."
"I saw from Alfaridzhi's last three fights that his physical fitness had been decreasing. Probably, he suffered from cumulative injuries in his final bout. Obviously he couldn't take the hard punches ..."
Ferdiansyah, a Golkar Party legislator and member of the House of Representatives' Commission VI for religious affairs and human resources, was of the same opinion.
"The KTI must check a boxer's condition before he steps into the ring. Boxers should undergo medical checkups both before and after they fight," he told the Post in a telephone interview.
"In Alfaridzhi's case, the doctor could be charged with negligence as he failed to do his job with the result that somebody died. There should have been two doctors available to issue reasonable opinions on the boxer's condition."
Alfaridzhi passed away on Monday at 9:28 p.m. in the UKI hospital's intensive care unit in East Jakarta after being knocked out in the eighth round of a 10-round bout against Kongtawat Ora of Thailand in Bogor last Friday. He never regained consciousness although he underwent brain surgery on Saturday.
Alfa, his nickname, became the third victim of professional boxing matches after Akbar Maulana and Dipo Saloko. Two other boxers, Midun and Nyoman Oka, survived after undergoing brain surgery conducted by Dr. Tommy Halauwet, who also operated on Alfa.
The Indonesian Boxing Promoters Association (Gaprotin) and the Indonesia Boxing Committee (KTI) will meet on Saturday in Jakarta to investigate the cause of death.
"We'll study the tape of the fight to see what went wrong. We are not going to blame a particular party but, rather, we want to ensure that it won't happen again in the future," Gaprotin chairman Tourino Tidar told reporters after attending Alfaridzhi's funeral at the Muslim Mahmud cemetery in Bandung on Tuesday.
"We will issue a further statement after the meeting. It's still too early and emotional now."
Tourino admitted that the death of the three boxers provided a clear indication that the rules of professional boxing needed an overhaul. He promised to make comprehensive improvements so as to avoid similar tragic accidents occurring in the future. But he urged the sports community not to search for a scapegoat.
"This is completely human error. I think every party has tried to follow the rules and procedures. But, accidents will happen. Even a world-class referee can make a mistake," he said, responding to questions on why the referee failed to perform a count even though Alfa had gone down three times in the early rounds.
Tourino hoped that Alfa's death would not affect the development of the sport, which has enjoyed a surge in popularity thanks to the frequent broadcasting of fights on Indosiar and RCTI.
Promoter Daniel Bahari denied allegations that he had failed to comply with fight rules. He said all the requirements and procedures had been approved by the International Boxing Federation (IBF). As a promoter, Daniel claimed he had fully respected Alfa's rights.
"I won't stop promoting due to this accident. Instead, it will attract attention as Alfa is a hero to the people of Bandung. I will miss him. People may be disappointed with his death, but I am more disappointed because I was the promoter. I couldn't stop the fight," said the father of former amateur boxing stars Pino and Nemo Bahari.
Members of Alfa's family, still very much in shock from their loss, stated they would withdraw from professional boxing and close down the Anak Bandung boxing club until the KTI improved its rules.
Father Josis Siswojo condemned the staging of the bout at 12:30 a.m.
"Can you imagine that Alfa had to fight at 12:30 a.m. when people are supposed to be sleeping," he cried angrily when interviewed.
Alfa's younger brother Muhammad Arief Almahdi -- who competes in the junior lightweight class -- is to resign from professional boxing to protest against the inadequate rules governing boxing in Indonesia. (25/nvn)