Christmas Day tragedy
Former WBC lightflyweight champion Yo Sam Choi’s death is a grim reminder of how dangerous the sport of boxing is.
A fighter risks his life in the ring. If he’s not prepared, physically or mentally, to fight, the probability of an accident waiting to happen rises at an alarming rate. It’s not worth putting your life on the line for a paycheck. Life is worth much more than that.
In Choi’s case, he was not mentally fit to take on Indonesian journeyman Heri Amol who had lost six of his last nine bouts and was once knocked out by Filipino Donnie Nietes.
Choi, 35, battled Amol in
The stricken fighter was rushed out of the ring on a stretcher and brought to the
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From Choi’s record, it didn’t seem like he was headed for a catastrophe. The win over Amol was his sixth in a row after losing a decision to Lorenzo Parra in a WBA flyweight title bout in
Choi turned pro in 1993 and racked up a 32-5 record, with 19
Choi’s list of victims included Filipinos Rolando Baclayo (KO1), Reggie Palabrica (KO2), Jun Arlos (W10 and W12), Nathan Ballerda (KO4), Allan Llanita (KO5 twice), Bruce Expectacion (KO4), Bert Batawang (W10) and Lee Escobido (W8).
About a month ago, IBF flyweight titlist Nonito Donaire, Jr. said he received an e-mail from Choi’s manager offering a fight in
“I don’t choose my opponents,” said Donaire. “I’ll fight whomever my promoter (Gary Shaw) puts in front of me. I just found it eerie that after getting an offer to fight Choi, a month later, he’s dead.”
Sam Kim, a writer from the Yonhap News Service, recently bared chilling notes from Choi’s diary that pictured him in a sad state of depression.
Writer Matthew Hurley described Choi as “a young man at odds with the sport and emotionally crippled by an overwhelming sense of loneliness.”
Apparently, Choi was distraught when boxing in
Some of Choi’s scribblings in his diary:
“I miss so much the people who have left me. Will boxing leave me, too?”
“There are wounds in my heart. I need treatment.”
“Not much time is left. Will I be a loser again? I can’t concentrate. I just want to end it all.”
“One step back, then I die. This is a match on the brink. I just want to live a simple life in a pretty house in a green landscape with someone I love. Now, I don’t like the smell of blood anymore. I’m just afraid of tomorrow.”
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Choi’s diary notes made him out to be suicidal. As the Korean climbed into the ring to fight Amol, it appeared like he had a death wish. He was mentally unstable and in no condition to engage anyone in a fight.
For sure, the tragedy will prompt boxing critics to once again call for the abolition of the sport. But the answer isn’t to eradicate boxing which is a source of livelihood for millions all over the world. The solution is to regulate it thoroughly and with compassion.
Choi’s tragedy could’ve been averted if only Korean boxing authorities knew about his troubled mental condition.
In our country, it took the Games and Amusements Board to order the retirement of Flash Elorde and Rolando Navarrete who both still wanted to continue fighting despite deteriorating skills at a late stage of their careers.
In boxing, a stoppage too early is better than a stoppage too late. Referee Bruce McTavish has often said he wouldn’t ever hesitate to step in two punches too early than two punches too late to save a fighter from a possible tragic ending. It’s the same thing in deciding when to stop a boxer’s career.
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