FOR a sport that has had its fair share of issues stemming from management trickling down to the athletes, boxing has had to work hard for its revival on a national scale.
However, even with its recently revamped body for professional boxing it seems their continues to be challenges.
Assistant director of the Boxing Commission of Fiji Usman Ali Lale said boxing promoters who staged fights held a responsibility to all- the commission, fans and athletes.
He had earlier told this newspaper that promoters needed to follow the right channel when it came to staging fights. He added the recent Westwood Boxing Promotion Northern Rumble, although sanctioned by the commission was largely pushed by the Ministry of Youth and Sport in a bid to revive the sport in Vanua Levu.
Ali’s sentiments were expressed largely in concern for boxers and also to ensure that whatever bouts were planned were done so with the full co-operation of the commission.
While the purpose of reviving the sport is all well and good, it is the ability of the promoter and the commission to work in a well coordinated manner that will ensure a favourable outcome to boxing matches that is a challenge.
The Northern Boxing Rumble was considered a success by promoter Praneel Dass, but Ali believes there was still room for improvement considering the “anomalies” in the strategies used in staging the bouts.
Ali said there was a need for promoters to follow the BCF’s criteria on scheduling fights to ensure the growth of the sport and better co-ordination between the promoter and the commission.
His explained why they were reluctant to endorse the the bout scheduled in Labasa. One was was due to their disagreement in holding two consecutive fights as a boxing ruble was completed in Nadi the previous week.
“We didn’t want two fights in the lapse of a week. For Waisele Ratu he had been cleared medically and we had heard from fans that he was sick for a very long time,” Ali said. He added in such instances boxers usually are “tested” a good period before fights to see whether they couldlast six rounds.
“We also should have been able to assess his training and that didn’t happen. On this regard though he had been cleared medically, we would have to prove that he was sick, which we couldn’t,” he said.
He added that it was crucial for those serving as boxing promoters and those intending to become one, to know and meet their responsibilities as stipulated fby the commission.
PROMOTERS RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Provisionally book the venues
2. Apply to the Boxing Commission of Fiji for permission to hold a fight program on that date and at that venue at least six weeks prior to the required date
3. Give to the BCF a list of the proposed fights you wish to put on for their agreement.
4. Once BCF agrees to sanction those fights, get each boxer concerned to sign their individual contract. Please include any additional benefits being paid to them on top of their purse (travel, accommodation, meals, etc) on the contract.
5. Pay for the venue, get a receipt and bring this to BCF with a copy of each of the signed contracts of the boxers at least five weeks before the contest date.
6. Pay your deposit of 25 per cent of the purse to BCF at this time.
7. Once this is done you can go ahead and announce your program to the media and not before you have completed all of the above.
8. Inform FRCA of this sanctioned program at least 4 weeks before the date of the program and obtain their approval if required.
9. Pay the other 75 per cent of the boxers’ purses on or before the day of the weigh-in plus the costs of the doctor, referees, judges, timekeeper, amateur boxing body and $1000 towards the 25 per cent deduction from ticket sales. A minimum of 24 hours prior to the fights. Please note — no payment, no fights.
10. Pay the boxing body arranging the boxers $300
11. Supply sufficient gloves for the program. 80z gloves are for fights up to middleweight. 100z gloves are for fights above middleweight. Brand new gloves must be supplied for the main fight and all title fights. Recommend that each promoter carries four pairs 80z and four pairs 100z as a minimum requirement.
12. After the fights BCF will deduct the boxers tax from his purse and pay this directly to FRCA
13. Promoters are to allow FRCA to attend their promotion if they wish to do so and are responsible to account to FRCA using the necessary forms within 14 days of the completion of the program, with a copy of the tickets sold to BCF so that the 25 per cent can be levied on that. Please note you will not be able to do any other promotion until all of the abovementioned tasks are fulfilled.
14. Any promoter who breaches any of the above items or interferes in any way with other promoters programs is liable to have their licence suspended or revoked.
15. Any person who wants to be a promoter must complete the form issued by BCF giving all personal details.
16. After a thorough background check by BCF, the person will then pay his licence fee to the commission if his background check is positive.
Meanwhile, Dass said he had pushed for the fight in Labasa to follow through because it had been more than a decade since a boxing match had been staged in Vanua Levu.
He added that he had recorded a loss in both the fights but hoped for more support from the people in future.
“I did not make any money in both of the programs but it was the fans that enjoyed the most. For me it’s not about the money but my passion for the sport,” he said.
Dass plans to stage the next competition in April but is unsure of the exact dates.