BUHAIN GETS STRONG SUPPORT FROM TOP THAI BOXING OFFICIAL
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 04 Apr 2007
Games and Amusements Board chairman Eric Buhain has received strong support in his determined crackdown on the activities of unscrupulous individuals involved in sneaking boxers out of the country only to get mauled by Thai fighters in blatant mismatches.
Thailand’s top boxing official, retired police general Kovit Bhakdibhumi who is vice president of the World Boxing Council communicated with Buhain to promise his full support in putting an end to the mismatches and other anomalous practices that result in the death of boxers like Lito Sisnorio and endanger the lives of other fighters.
Sisnorio died following brain surgery last Friday. The 24 year old former WBC Youth flyweight champion was knocked out in the fourth round by former world champion Chatchai Sasakul who had a record of 37 knockouts in 58 wins with 3 losses while Sisonorio who had lost his last three fights had only 5 wins in 11 fights in what was a blatant mismatch.
Unbelievably WBC official and veteran Bangkok Post columnist Edward Thangarajah defended what was happening in Thailand claiming promoters were helping poor Filipino fighters earn a living because there were not enough fights being staged in the Philippines. Thangarajah also strongly objected to our insistence that the fight was a terrible mismatch, although a well-known journalist in Bangkok revealed that Thangarajah himself was suspected of being the matchmaker along with Panya.
Buhain said ”either he flies here or I will fly to Thailand to meet with him” and help work together to institute stringent measures to prevent ring deaths resulting from fights that are not sanctioned by the governing bodies such as the GAB and the corresponding groups in Thailand of which there are at least three.
Kovit was quoted by Martin Petty of Reuters as saying “I feel very strongly about the death of Lito Sisnorio – we don’t want these mismatches. We have been warning the promoters in Thailand. Now we will check every fight, even the warm-up bouts and the undercard fights.” Kovit indicated he means business when he said “I don’t care if the promoters are unhappy. That’s not important.”
The former police general conceded that accidental ring deaths can happen but “we have to protect fighters the best we can.”
Buhain said he had sent Commissioner Angel Bautista and boxing division chief Dr. Nasser Cruz to Bangkok yesterday. He said they would meet with the Philippine Ambassador to Thailand, some Thai boxing officials and promoter Virat who staged the fight card in which Sisnorio clashed with Sasakul. Buhain revealed that he was able to trace Virat’s assistant Panya Prachakorn whose name has surfaced as the individual dealing with people like Bong Obero who has been condemned as one of the unscrupulous middlemen sneaking fighters out of the country with the necessary GAB clearance and pitting them in mismatches.
Buhain said the GAB officials will coordinate with South Cotabato governor Manny Pinol who was directed to fly to Bangkok to help bring the body of Sisnorio home and to investigate what happened.
Buhain also met with NBI personnel and provided them with the names of the people whose names have surfaced in the case of Sisnorio and other fighters who have been sneaked out of the country to fight abroad without GAB approval.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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