Boxing Body Still Punch Drunk Over Choi’s Death
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
A month after the shocking ring death of former flyweight champion Choi Yo-sam, the country's slipshod boxing body is struggling to get back on two feet.
And it's perhaps harder to get your head back straight when you drag your heavy, punch-drunk body home only to be sent packing for your failure to pay the rent.
In yet another public relations embarrassment, the Korean Boxing Commission (KBC) said it would move its headquarters to a central Seoul office owned by president Kim Chul-ki today due to its troubles to pay the 1 million won ($1,057)-per-month rent at its previous headquarters in the city's northern district.
It will be the third office since 2004 for the KBC, whose financial struggles have worsened in recent years.
``Some worried whether it would be appropriate for a governing body of a professional sport to move into an office space privately owned by the president," said a KBC official.
``However, at least we are free from the worries of paying the rent now. It is sad that we don't have a building or a specialized boxing arena and we have to move to cheaper places whenever we get a new president."
Although the KBC managed to get a roof over its head, it bears further watching whether it succeeds to stay relevant as a sports governing body.
Choi, the former World Boxing Organization (WBO) intercontinental flyweight champion, lapsed into a coma in the last minutes of his successful title defense against Indonesia's Heri Amol on Christmas Day and was pronounced dead a week later.
The latest ringside tragedy exposed the lack of medical control and lax fighting regulations in South Korean boxing as well as the suspicion of corruption within the KBC, which was unable to contribute a penny to Choi's medical expenses.
The KBC collects 1 percent of the fight money from each bout to maintain a healthcare insurance fund to help fighters finance medical treatment from ring injuries.
However, at the time of Choi's death, there was less than 10 million won left in the fund, with boxing authorities suspected of illegally pocketing the money. Police are currently investigating a number of KBC officials who were sued for embezzling more than 50 million won from the healthcare fund.
The growing distrust toward the KBC resulted in a divergence within the local boxing circle that was previously thought as tight.
Led by former World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight champion Hong Soo-hwan, about 300 active and retired boxers gathered in Seoul last month to announce the launching of a reformist boxing organization. The group called for the resignation of KBC executives and restoration of the healthcare funds.
Painted into the corner, the KBC has been promising reforms, most notably stronger medical control. In South Korea, pre-match medical tests are basically not much more than a glance into the eyes and the taking of blood pressure, and scheduled fights rarely get canceled. This contrasts from tighter regulations in the United States, where places like the boxing Mecca of Nevada require pre-fight MRI tests.
However, it's questionable whether the KBC is capable of imposing the changes.
Pan-Asian Boxing Association (PABA) middleweight champion Lee Jae-myung will defend his title against a Thai challenger on Feb. 23, the first professional fight hosted in the country since Choi's death.
However, the level of medical control is expected to be as primitive as ever, with the KBC yet to confirm on having trained physicians and emergency equipment at ringside.
Perhaps the KBC is having trouble setting its priorities straight. President Kim, pursuing his dream in politics, is bidding for a nomination as a Grand National Party (GNP) lawmaker candidate, and seems to be spending more time in Yoido than his central Seoul office. Cho Min was nominated as the KBC secretary general earlier this month, but has yet to be approved by the board, leaving a massive void in leadership.
``We are talking with promoter Koh In-sik on having a neurosurgeon at ringside for Lee's match," said Hwang Hyun-chul, a KBC official.