Boxing committee told to take responsibility for Alfa's death
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)