Since last week’s column, two men have been beaten to death in a boxing ring. There are other, more subtle, ways to describe what happened to Lito Sisnorio and Deeden Kengkaroon but that is the stark reality of the situation.
Filipino journeyman Lito died after being knocked out by former world flyweight champion Chatchai Sasakul in Thailand while details of Deeden’s fatal match are still shrouded in mystery.
Reports indicate he boxed in the Philippines then returned to Thailand before succumbing from his injuries.
These tragic incidents follow the death of Anis Dwi Mulya in Indonesia last month.
The nature of boxing means fatalities will always occur as long as people punch each other in the head in the name of sport.
The brain is not designed for this, but efforts must be made to minimise the risk as much as possible.
Regulations must be strictly enforced across the Asia-Pacific region to make sure boxers are given the proper protection from unscrupulous people.
Boxers should not be allowed to fight abroad without first being cleared by a credible organisation in their own country and penalties have to be given to those who break the rules.
That involves foreigners fighting in Thailand and also Thais travelling overseas to box.
The recent deaths have raised the topic of mismatches, but this is a subject that must be treated in its proper context.
The majority of boxing contests across the world are not fair fights and it is relatively easy to predict who will win beforehand.
Prospects are built up, champions want easy defences and faded stars look for an easy way back into contention.
There always has to be a man, or woman, booked for a beating in the other corner.
Lito had won five fights and lost four with one draw while Chatchai had won 58 fights (37KOs) with three defeats.
Lito took the fight against Chatchai as a payday, just as he had against Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (63-2-0), Panomroonglek Kratingdaenggym (14-0), Oledong Sithsamerchai (17-0), Fahpetchnoi Sor Chitpattana (13-0) and Pigmy Muangchaiyaphum (19-5-2).
He was beaten by all of them in Thailand except Fahpetchnoi Sor Chitpattana.
Lito stopped Fahpetchnoi in five rounds, which earned him further assignments against top-level Thais.
While the bare statistics point to frightening gulf between the competitors, the fights often resemble little more than sparring sessions.
It is a necessary facet of boxing that is practised the world over. For instance, Peter Buckley in England has lost 240 fights, with four defeats already this year.
It is important not to forget that Thailand has an exemplary safety record in boxing, which is the result of competent referees and proper medical procedures.
But it is a cold, hard fact that some deaths and serious injuries will occur no matter what precautions are taken.
Lito Sisnorio and Deeden Kengkaroon paid the ultimate price for boxing and everyone involved in the sport owes it to them to make things as safe as possible.
After a long wait, the superb strawweight final eliminator between Oledong Sithsamerchai and Peurto Rico’s Omar Soto takes place in Saraburi tomorrow.
Whoever wins will face WBC champion Eagle Kwoya _ a Thai who is now based in Japan.
The fight is an even match and represents the first real test for either of them. Home advantage may give stylist Oledong the edge he needs to win, especially as he boxes alongside stablemate WBC flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam.
Pongsaklek should have little trouble beating Japan’s Tomonobu Shimizu in a title defence on the same bill.
In fact, Shimizu looks hopelessly outclassed and referee Brad Vocale needs to keep a close eye on the action.
Any more serious incidents would be disastrous given the current situation.
