The only way to reduce fatalities in the ring is strict attention to prevention, said WBC Executive Secretary Mauricio Sulaiman, when asked about the passing of boxer Oscar “Fantasma” Gonzalez.
“I was there at the arena and the truth is that it wasn’t a hard fight. It was a tough accident, which was nobody’s fault. Oscar had passed all the medical tests” Mauricio said.
Mauricio stressed this was a very sad thing indeed. Oscar was a very clean living decent young man and a great boxer.
“This sad story must help us further improve our prevention programs. We have got to eradicate these situations.”
Mauricio recalled several key actions implimented by the WBC over the years, to avoid fatal accidents in boxing, including controlled loss weight with 30 and 7 days and 24 hour prior fight weigh-ins, mandatory and rigorous medical tests and much more.
“I have to admit that no campaign is enough. That is why we will constantly return to the gyms to have long discussions with the managers, boxers and promoters. We all have to be united to avoid deaths in the rings,” he pledged.
Mauricio added that the WBC is gathering every single scrap of information available to assess what caused Oscar Gonzalez’s death.
He assured that the WBC will give 50,000 USD of the life insurance to Gonzalez family.
“Money can’t buy a life but this is something Oscar left to his Wife. This life insurance has been established by the WBC since 1982,” he concluded.
