WBC CONDEMNS POST-FIGHT RIOT AND ATTACKS ON TEAM CASIMERO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 14 Feb 2012
In a strongly worded statement the World Boxing Council headed by its president Don Jose Sulaiman has condemned what he called ?a shameful brawl? after Johnriel Casimero won the IBF light flyweight interim title with a 10th round TKO of former champion Luis Lazarte in Mar del Plata, Argentina last February 10.
The WBC said it ?condemns this cowardly attack that many fans made against the foreign fighter (Casimero) and his team? pointing out that ?they were only 4 unprotected people who received brutal and unacceptable attacks from scores of people.?
Sulaiman said ?The WBC rejects what happened and demands immediate action by the local authorities to punish those criminals that have stained boxing and the reputation of such an exemplary and honorable country like Argentina.?
He stressed ?This is a call to take immediate actions. This is not about blaming a country because these kind of things have happened before in other countries like the one in Madison Square Garden in New York, when a battle started after the bout between Riddick Bowe and Andrew Golota.?
This reporter recalls how Puerto Rican fans rioted at Madison Square Garden after world junior lightweight champion Gabriel "Flash" Elorde scored a close ten round split decision over Puerto Rico's Frankie Narvaez in August 1965.
Angry fans threw chairs and the axes of fire extinguishers, wrecked a piano and later went outside and threw bricks from a construction site at the garden before New York police were called in to quell the riot.
The WBC maintained that ?The guilt is of those people who had the obligation to ensure the safety of the people and the one who was in charge of the security to prevent events like this; guilt and shame also on those cowards who attacked a defenseless boxer and his team.?
The World Boxing Council said it ?invites all the boxing federations around the world, the local boxing commissions and all the promoters in the world to take this shameful event as an example to reinforce the security measures before, during and after the bouts to prevent this from happening again. This shouldn?t have happened in a sports event.?
The WBC also appealed to all people and boxing federations ?not to point out this great country like Argentina as being responsible for this shameful event. Argentina is a great boxing country that has been a venue of many boxing bouts.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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