Black eye for boxing
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 02 Sep 2018
Felix Eumir Marcial.
Controversial decisions that smack of partiality and even corruption continue to taint AIBA-sanctioned competitions, putting in jeopardy the future of boxing as an Olympic sport. There is a growing uproar to delist boxing from the Olympic calendar because the incidence of highly-questionable outcomes, clouded by partisanship, has almost become a recurring bad habit. So far, the IOC has allowed a stay of execution, particularly as the AIBA recently vowed to clean up its act with the appointment of interim president Gafur Rahimov of Uzbekistan.
But Rahimov may not be the leader to prop up as a purveyor of reform. Late last year, the US Treasury reportedly froze Rahimov?s assets under American jurisdiction for alleged criminal activities. ?Rahimov has been described as having moved from extortion and car theft to becoming one of Uzbekistan?s leading criminals and an important person involved in the heroin trade,? said the US Treasury quoted by writer Graham Dunbar of New Zealand. Rahimov has supposedly been linked to the Thieves-In-Law organized crime gang engaging in money laundering, bribery, robbery and extortion by the US Treasury?s Office of Foreign Assets Control. He gained control of AIBA after rescuing the governing body from bankruptcy by renegotiating a $10 Million loan from an Azerbaijan finance company. Rahimov lives in Dubai and travel restrictions prevent him from holding office at the AIBA headquarters in Lausanne.
AIBA has been rocked by a leadership crisis since last year?s coup that ousted president Ching Kuo Wu of Chinese-Taipei on charges of mismanagement, misconduct and financial irregularities. Last October, Franco Falcinelli of Italy was named interim president to replace Wu. But three months later, AIBA installed another interim president Rahimov. Last April, AIBA was ordered to justify its continued existence as an Olympic sport by the IOC and newly-designated executive director Tom Virgets of the US promised change for the better. It was the second time that the IOC instructed AIBA to fight for Olympic survival.
The disputed decisions in this year?s Asian Games surely won?t help AIBA?s cause. Believe it or not, all seven male Uzbekistan fighters made it to the finals, a clean sweep considering there were only seven weight classes. It?s no coincidence that the AIBA president is from Uzbekistan and it?s no secret that the referees/judges owe their assignments to the incumbent.
Take the case of Filipino middleweight Eumir Marcial. In the semifinals last Friday, Marcial looked like he had done more than enough to beat Uzbekistan?s Israil Madrimov. He was even credited with a standing eight-count as Madrimov took a bad beating in the third round. But surprisingly, Madrimov won on a 3-2 split decision that was loudly booed by the crowd, mostly made up of Indonesian fans. Marcial took the third round, 10-9, on all five judges? scorecards but Madrimov leaned on an early lead to claim the verdict. Judge Hermanto Ginting Bagusmunthe of Indonesia and Ramona Cobzac of Romania saw it 28-27 for Marcial but Farza Sadeghpour of Iran, Yoser Cinar of Turkey and Wakapdapola Wasala of Syria had it 28-27 for Madrimov who happens to be a national hero in Uzbekistan. Madrimov was his country?s flag-bearer at the opening parade in Jakarta so it was difficult to displease Rahimov by awarding the win to Marcial.
POC and ABAP president Ricky Vargas said the decision was a travesty. ?Unfair to the sport, to the fans, to the country and most especially, to the boxers,? he lamented. ?No athlete should be subjected to this lack of integrity in sport. I cry for them.? POC chairman Rep. Bambol Tolentino was also up in arms. ?Unbelievable,? he said. ?Madrimov was so groggy. He had a point deduction and was even given a standing eight-count. But the AIBA president is from Uzbekistan. Even the Indonesians in the crowd were very angry.? When the decision was announced, Tolentino turned to the AIBA officials on the VIP stage and said, ?shame on you.?
POC secretary-general and ABAP vice president Patrick Gregorio said boxers from other countries approached Marcial in the lockerroom to console him. ?They told Eumir he?s the champion,? said Gregorio.
ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson said Marcial clearly won the fight. ?I will concede the first round as being close although I could still make a case for Eumir but the second and third were definitely ours,? he said. ?This was atrocious. No, Eumir didn?t cry after losing. He?s a tough kid but he kept apologizing to Mr. Vargas and Mr. Gregorio. He really thought he won. He?s sad that he still hasn?t made his Papa?s dream come true for him to win in the Asian Games and Olympics. His father Eulalio is the reason why Eumir has turned down numerous offers for him to turn pro. His father was his first trainer and still trains young boxers in Zamboanga.?
Picson said AIBA doesn?t allow protests. ?We have to accept decisions, correct or otherwise,? he said. ?We will try to correct that in the AIBA Congress this November. Hopefully, they will amend this strange rule.? Another ABAP boxer Nesthy Petecio was a victim of a bum decision, losing to China?s Yin Jun Hua on a split 3-2 decision in the women?s featherweight preliminaries.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
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