By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Another young boxer has died after suffering a third round TKO in a fight card at the Indosiar TV studios in Jakarta last Saturday bringing to twelve the number of ring deaths reported in Indonesia since 2000.
21 year old minimum weight Hendrick Bida was battered by Mones Arepas and rushed to the Mediros Hospital when he collapsed after the fight was stopped. The ring physician, Dr. Tommy Hallauwet reported that a CT Scan showed Bira suffered from a blood clot and swelling in the brain.
The World Boxing Council imposed a six month ban on Indonesia in 2000 but there has apparently been very little improvement since the ban was lifted. In 2003 WBC president Jose Sulaiman appointed Dr. Nasser Cruz of the Philippines Games and Amusements Board to head a medical committee that would investigate the four ring deaths recorded in Indonesia in 2002 and 2003. At that time Sulaiman said "there is no country in the world to come even close to Indonesia in regard to fatal or serious accidents in the ring." Apparently nothing has happened since then.
Dr. Cruz told Manila Standard Today that the WBC Medical Committee is now headed by Dr. Paul Wallace and that Sulaiman had set a medical seminar sometime in June this year. With the latest ring death Dr. Cruz said "we may see the seminar scheduled earlier." In the Philippines, the GAB is "trying to check at the grassroots level to see whether boxers are training properly before a fight. Dr. Cruz said "the problem is checking on places in Mindanao" even as he praised Cebu boxing people for being "very professional, sensible and active. We have no problem in Cebu."
Among the top fighters from Cebu are WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion Rey Bautista, OPBF super featherweight and WBC No. 2 ranked Randy Suico, OPBF No. 1 super flyweight Z "The Dream" Gorres, former WBC super flyweight champion Gerry Penalosa and a host of other fighters regarded as champions of the future.
On February 19, 2003 lightweight Jack Ryan died after brain surgery following a TKO at the hands of countryman Syamsul Hidayat, Earlier on January 13 Antonius Moses also died after brain surgery following an eighth round knockout by Thailand’s Kaichon Sor Vorapin. Two other fighters were also hospitalized after collapsing in the ring.
Junior featherweight Dian Hasibuan was also listed in critical condition in a Jakarta hospital after suffering a TKO against Jack Rui at the RCTI TV Studios also in Jakarta on March 9, 2003 but he survived after brain surgery and was discharged from the hospital two weeks later. Indonesian straw-weight Nicholas also recovered from brain surgery when he collapsed in a bout after taking a bad beating against Yandri Hansen.The referee stopped the fight in the seventh round.
