Equipped with just their gloves and determination, many young Filipino men pursue professional boxing to slug it out with poverty.
But for 150 Filipino professional boxers, they may have to come up against a wall after the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) banned them from stepping inside the boxing ring.
GAB said they were found to have falsified their brain scan results, Agence France-Presse reported.
The results of their medical examination turned out to be fake, because of the boxers’ inability to pay for the actual procedure, the board’s medical officer Radentor Viernes told AFP.
The government vows to safeguard the safety of the athletes of this dangerous sport, the reason for the strict imposition for boxers to undergo several medical tests to determine if they are fit to fight.
In 2012, boxer Karlo Maquinto died after falling into a coma due to a blood clot in his brain after a flyweight fight against fellow Filipino Mark Joseph Costa.
“The welfare and safety of our boxers is part of our mandate. We do not want any more boxing deaths,” Games and Amusements Board (GAB) chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra said in a news briefing.
Mitra added that the banned boxers will not be allowed to fight until they submit the required medical documents.
Philippines’ homegrown boxers have risen to be some of the world’s most legendary fighters including eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao whose rags to riches story remains to inspire the younger generation of Filipino boxers.
