ACCREDITED New Zealand National Boxing official Faiyaz Khan has defended the decision to stop the Fiji light heavyweight title fight between Savenaca Naliva and Joseph Kwadjo in the sixth round.
Khan, after consultation with the Boxing Commission of Fiji officials, declared the fight a no contest, taking into consideration the safety of the boxers after the boxing ring surface became very slippery.
Explaining the decision, he said the ring was a new one.
“Most of the fans must have noticed that for a number of occasions I called ‘stop’ for falls,” he said.
“This was because the surface was very slippery even though it was wiped after every round. I think after 11 bouts the tarpaulin became very slippery. This is why for the safety of the boxers I had to stop the fight.
“This will be regarded as a no contest and they will have to fight again for the title. It is an international ring and a full sized ring brought from China. All we need to do is to probably change the canvas.”
Mr Khan, most boxing enthusiasts would agree, did the right thing.
He considered the safety of the boxers.
That is of paramount interest.
The revelation is interesting though, and will no doubt raise a number of questions.
For starters, sceptics may wonder how equipment was tested before the fight.
Considering the fact that it was a title fight, there would have been shocked reactions when the two fighters took off their footwear to continue the fight.
How could that be allowed?
Is that approved ring attire?
There obviously will be concern from the two camps as well given the time, sacrifice and effort the two boxers put into preparations for the event.
Their fans would have been looking forward to the event with great anticipation and expectation.
There would have been great enthusiasm.
We wonder how this turn of events would have impacted the image of boxing in Fiji, especially as the sport continues in its revival phase.
We wonder how this would impact potential sponsors in the future, and interest in the sport.
How has it impacted the image of Fiji among potential fighters considering our country as a fight destination in the future?
Surely these are questions that must be considered for the future of the sport in Fiji.
We look forward with keen interest at the development of the sport.
