Promoters voice concern over WBC ban
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
While concerns over the prospect of Indonesian boxing deepen, following a six-month ban imposed by the World Boxing Council (WBC), worries are running high that the sport's other international bodies will follow suit.
Boxing promoter Martin Walewangko warned on Monday that professional boxing organizations, other than WBC and its Asia- Pacific affiliate OPBF, were likely to equal the punishment imposed on Indonesia.
"Don't dream that after being banned by the WBC and OPBF we can turn to other bodies. They will automatically follow suit," Martin said.
"They certainly don't want to be alleged of being soft on a country that has neglected the safety of its boxers," he said.
There have been no official statements, so far, from the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF), the two other prominent pro-boxing bodies, on this matter.
WBC announced the ban during its convention in Pattaya, Thailand, over the weekend, in response to the poor organization of boxing contests in Indonesia, which has resulted in five deaths over the past 18 months.
Indonesian boxers will not be allowed to fight under WBC and OPBF auspices for six months as a result of the suspension.
But the most damaging impact of the punishment is the immediate exclusion of Indonesian boxers from OPBF rankings, according to Manahan Situmorang, who chairs the Indonesian Boxing Association (ATI), a splinter group of the Indonesian Boxing Commission (KTI).
The OPBF rankings, issued on Sept. 30, list 12 Indonesian boxers in the top 10 of their respective classes.
"It is not the organization but the boxers who suffer from the ban. They can't fight overseas and they are denied the chance of earning money," said Manahan Situmorang, a former boxing promoter, who now chairs the Indonesian Boxing Association (ATI).
"Not only is Indonesia's boxing image tainted but the government has been given a slap in the face," he said.
Another promoter Tourino Tidar, called for the prioritization of medical affairs in the near future.
"I'm truly sorry about the condition because it puts our national dignity at stake," Tourino, who also chairs the Indonesian Boxing Promoters Association (Gaprotin), told reporters here on Monday.
"Even in Mexico, a country renowned for its good boxers, I have never heard of a boxer's death. Neither in Thailand, which is popular for Thai boxing."
Tourino seemed to be running out of patience with KTI, which is affiliated to Gaprotin, saying that he would announce a breakaway from the commission.
He suggested that boxers be designated to a hospital, instead of a doctor.
"We have to ensure that hospitals have the equipment we need to deal with an emergency," he said.
He also criticized the absence of procedural regulations on assessing the blood pressure of boxers before taking to the ring.
Both Tourino and Martin suspected -- and were later justified by Dr. Lodewix Sitorus, who was also present at Monday's meeting -- that ring organizers only applied a fleeting medical check, instead of providing laboratory data about the boxers.