Take action or more boxers will die

Take action or more boxers will die

The deaths of nine professional boxers over the past four years,
two of them just one month apart, should be a wake up call for
the country's boxing authorities. Without firm and strict
policies on safety, boxers are putting their lives on the line
once the bell rings. The Jakarta Post reporter Zakki Hakim writes
a special report on the issue.

Nine Indonesian professional boxers have died after bouts
during the last four years.

Antonius Moses Seram and Jack Ryan -- the last two to die --
passed away a month apart.

Moses died one week after being knocked out by Thailand's
Kaichon Sor Vorapin in a televised nontitle fight in January. The
following month, Jack Ryan was knocked unconscious at the end of
his fight against a fellow Indonesian and died a week later.

While the national boxing community is still grappling with
Jack's doomed fate, another boxer, Dian Hasibuan, is close to
following his fellow boxers after he fell unconscious following
his all-Indonesia bout last week.

The boxer was reported to be making an improvement after he
underwent a surgical operation.

Moses and Jack have added to the fatalities list that includes
Dipo Saloko, Bayu Young Iray (2000), John Namtilu, Donny Maramis,
Moh. Alfaridzi (2001), Bones Franciscus and Mula Sinaga (2003).

A representative of the World Boxing Council (WBC) said that
the lack of will to make changes had left Indonesian professional
boxing overshadowed by the threat of death.

"There is nothing new in the rules and the local boxing
organizations are supposed to be familiar with them, but none
seems to have the will to make changes," Chandru Lalwani said.

Following AlFaridzi's death the WBC handed down sanctions in
December 2001 banning Indonesian boxers from fighting in WBC-
sanctioned bouts outside the country.

The ban was lifted in July 2002 after Indonesia established
the Indonesian Supervisory and Controlling Body for Professional
Sports (BPPOPI) to monitor the sport, as demanded by the WBC.

But almost two years after the lifting of the ban, little has
changed. Every time a fatal incident occurs, boxing circles find
themselves pointing the finger of blame at each other with little
action being taken to prevent further deaths.

Being the umbrella of all professional sports in Indonesia,
the BPPOPI is meant to be able to impose its influence on its
boxing subordinates.

But it seems to be desperate to stamp its authority, as
indicated by a recent rebuff by the Indonesian Boxing Commission
(KTI), one of the sanctioning bodies, over the former's findings
in its investigation into the death of Moses.

KTI sanctioned the Moses-Vorapin bout. There is another
sanctioning body, the Indonesian Boxing Association (ATI), which
has been established recently to rival KTI.

An investigation team formed by BPPOPI concluded that four
people were to blame for their part in Moses' death and it
decided to impose punishment ranging from a written reprimand to
a six-month suspension.

Match inspector Ibarahim Saka was banned for six months, ring
doctor Meiwan Atmadji and Moses' coach M. Yunus got three months
each, and Nus Ririhena, who refereed the bout, was given a
written reprimand.

The investigation team head Haryo Yuniarto hoped that KTI
would follow up the recommendation.

"We leave it to KTI to decide whether they would impose the
sanctions as recommended or not," he said, adding that the
recommendation aimed to protect the boxers.

Instead of complying with the sanctions, the KTI somehow felt
irritated, saying that BPPOPI had been unethical in questioning
its authority in the issue.

"The KTI is an independent body. In the field of boxing
supervision, I guess the KTI has done its best. The KTI's
authority is sufficient for it to regulate the safety of boxers.
The KTI knows better (than BPPOPI) what happened in the cases of
the boxers' deaths. With the BPPOPI ruling, will it guarantee an
end to fatalities?" Pino Bahari, a former boxer-turned promoter,
said.

KTI deputy chairman Ebet Hutagalung said KTI refused BPPOPI's
recommendation on the ground that the latter did not consult the
former before announcing the sanctions.

"If a sanction is to be given, the beneficiary should be KTI,
not individuals," he said, adding that KTI was more authoritative
to give the sanctions to its officials.

Apart from the sanctions, Ebet saw the need to improve the
skills of referees and coaches.

He said that only 10 percent of professional boxing coaches
across the country were properly qualified to do their jobs.

"The remainder are those boxers who became coaches without
ample knowledge of nutrition, sports medicine or sports science,"
he said.

Arche Unsulangi, a coach with the JK Dobeli boxing camp,
agreed that boxers, coaches, promoters, matchmakers and boxing
organizations should collectively shoulder the blame.

"All of us are responsible," he said at his boxing camp in
Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta. He emphasized, though, that coaches
were mostly responsible as it was assumed that they were familiar
with their proteges' boxing records.

Arche, a former professional boxer, said that some coaches
neglected safety procedures; thus boxers became prone to injury
even during training and sparring sessions.

Pairing boxers of different standards -- on the argument that
weaker boxers will be "shaped up" ahead of a bout -- is risky,
but a method practiced by some coaches, according to Arche.

"I know a couple of coaches who matched boxers that were two
classes apart," he said.

Arche blames promoters and matchmakers, whom he suspects are
merely interested in making money.

Ragil Sagiyo, an assistant manager of the Extra Joss boxing
camp in Cilandak, South Jakarta, shared Arche's opinion, saying
that on many occasions promoters had provided a fight contract
two months before the match date, instead of the specified one
month in advance.

"That's too close to the fight to prepare the boxer properly,"
he said, adding that at times he had not been able to turn down a
contract as the match was a rare opportunity.

While he was not specifically criticized, Hery 'Aseng'
Sugiharto -- the regular promoter of bouts coorganized with RCTI
management -- came out with a defensive statement.

He shunned suggestions that boxers of vastly different
capabilities had been matched to fight each other. He said that
his side matched fighters of the same ability, and that they were
informed of their would-be opponent one month prior to a bout.

Aseng said that the station demanded a fixed schedule that was
proposed at least a month in advance.

"I don't know how other promoters do it, but as far as I know
it is in accordance with the law," he said.

"The boxer, coach and manager often lie about a boxer's true
state." he claimed.

"Before even reaching the ring the boxer may have sustained
concussion or other serious injuries from previous fights,
sparring sessions or training, but they say nothing to us," he
added.

Aseng urged the boxing committee to conduct regular medical
checks on all boxers.

The World Boxing Council specifies that medical checks should
be done not yearly or monthly but on a daily basis, and are
compulsory before and after the match.

However, many boxers neglect such medical procedures, arguing
it is costly, an issue deemed to be baseless by Chandru.

Aseng said that in the end it came down to money. That was
what lured a boxer to fight, even though he might, in terms of
skills and fitness, not be quite ready.

Although cash prizes for fights are generally low, a
successful fighter can expect a lucrative bonus of up to Rp 100
million from his sponsors.

An official with the KTI said that there were around 1,000
boxers, the majority of whom were from poorer sections of the
community.

Most boxers get Rp 5 million for a televised fight.

However, for a high-ranking boxer, such as International
Boxing Federation (IBF) Pan Pacific lightweight champion Joe
Ricardo, the match fee can reach up to Rp 25 million.

Having recorded 22 wins, a loss and a draw, Joe said that 30
percent of the fee was deducted by his camp.

Junior welterweight champion Gideon Salasa said he had been
motivated to take up boxing so that he could support his family
back home in the remote Sangihe Talaud islands.

He said the death of fellow boxers had not deterred him from
fighting.

"To die in the ring is a risk that every boxer must face. He
should be aware that boxing is one of the toughest sports," said
25-year-old Gideon, who received Rp 7.5 million for his fight
against Bart Abapo of the Philippines last month.

With boxers buoyed by high enthusiasm but the boxing governing
bodies reluctant make an improvement, Indonesia seems headed for
gloomy prospects in the curbing of boxing fatalities.

With the BPPOPI as yet unable to impose its authority,
chairman Toho Chalik Mutohir's call for commitment from all
involved parties in boxing activities seems to be more like self-
censure.

"The rules are there, but very few implement them. If only all
parties obeyed the rules, particularly the medical guidelines,
the large number of deaths could be prevented.

"It's time to stop blaming others, or arguing with each other,
and to start making a commitment to improving the system," he
said.

The WBC reiterates its concern. "The WBC is looking forward to
seeing all parties in local boxing put aside their egos and sit
together to reach a solution to prevent fatalities.

"This is a very serious matter, but we haven't seen anyone
with enough commitment to seek the right solution for a problem
that has already taken root," he said.