The alarming increased of ring deaths is one of the issues the Games Amusement Board (GAB) wants to be addressed when the Philippines hosts the 45th World Boxing Council (WBC) Convention from November 11 to 17 this year at the Manila Hotel.
“The alarming growth of ring death cases is a serious issue that has to be addressed. It’s causing a stigma to the sport,” GAB chair Eric Buhain said in a previous media interview.
“The WBC wants to find ways not just to minimize but to totally eradicate ring deaths, and that it will ask the participants for help in crafting a fool-proof formula,” Buhain added.
Buhain, former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), proposed during a recent meeting with WBC president Jose Sulaiman that the issue be discussed during the WBC convention.
“We’re glad that Don Jose agreed to our proposal. We, at the Games and Amusements Board, are happy that it would be given attention as we also want no more Filipino boxer will have the tragedy that befell Sisnorio,” Buhain said, referring to Lito Sisnorio who died recently after a boxing match in Thailand.
Buhain, former swimming gold medalist in Southeast Asian Games, said the absence of a clear-cut policy on the inter-country travel of professional boxers prompted local fighters to go abroad without getting clearance from GAB.
“There are rules but it’s not properly implemented. We’re trying to rectify it now. We look at this convention as the proper forum to discuss ways to eliminate illegal fights that cause untimely deaths to boxers,” Buhain explained.
The GAB chief said that all world boxing federations, organizations and associations are united in the fight against illegal boxing promotions and human trafficking.”
“The WBC wants to spearhead the reform in the sports and WBC is already coordinating with the other boxing federations to come up with a uniform measure,” Buhain said.
Buhain is expecting hundreds of boxing officials from the 199 WBC member-countries to attend the event which the Philippines will be hosting for the first time since 1975.
“The last time we hosted it was in 1975 during ‘Thrilla in Manila’, featuring Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier,” Buhain said.
Buhain is planning to stage another ‘Thrilla in Manila’, hoping to bring in one of the next fights of Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao. (PNA)
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