NO JOKING
Ring death in Oz
Filipino boxer involved in another tragedy
IN THE split-second
that Campbelltown’s
Davey Browne jr
took his eyes off the
action for a quick
look at his glove
laces, a whistling
right-cross from
Filipino boxing
import Carlo Magali
barreled through
his defence and
put an end to the
Australian’s life.
Editorial:
IN THIS CORNER
JAIME K. PIMENTEL
Editor
PinOzInPlay
Sports officials
hold the aces
AMONG safety safeguards in boxing
are rules allowing one of three ‘officials’
to stop a contest from continuing:
the referee, the ring doctor, and the
designated member of the local police
force.
At the outset let us say that this is not an indictment
on those involved in deaths at boxing matches with
Filipino contestants in Australia recently.
But it has to be said that boxing officials from referees
to ring doctors and designated members of the police
force at ringside must equally take responsibility for the
conduct and safety of boxers at official contests under the
Marquis of Queensberry Rules of boxing.
That applies to both amateur and professional boxing.
We know from experience as an
amateur boxing referee and judge,
and as a news reporter on boxing,
that a boxing official can assist in
determining a match result.
For example, a referee has several ways of distracting
one boxer to give the opponent an advantage: breaking
a clinch too early to stop a good ‘inside fighter’ from
scoring, harassing a boxer for what may look like minor
infringements so the boxer loses concentration, or merely
demonstrating disdain towards one boxer.
A ring doctor can allow a contestant whom he may
deem to become medically unfit at stage of a bout to
continue boxing.
A designated police officer can look the other way when
one boxer becomes “unfit fight”.
Further to that, “industry politics” sometimes plays
in the rest of boxing officialdom that may result in
mismatches or unfit boxers being allowed to pass or skip
tests before matches.
This misconduct happens in professional as it does
in amateur boxing. Insiders have been privy to that,
unfortunately.
Boxing is a very risky sport. But it is still a sport with
strict rules and safeguards.
Banning boxing, as in the Marquis of Queensbury
Rules, may not be the answer to avoiding deaths in the
ring. If banned, the game may only go underground and
become even more dangerous to society.
We say: Look to the way boxing bouts ~ or “fights” as
we refer to it in the pros ~ are officiated and organised.
Turn your eyes of boxing officialdom.
02
PinOzInPlay
The tragedy
immediately sparked yet
another outcry across the
world to ban boxing.
It was the fourth death
in an Australian boxing
ring involving a Filipino
import: Dencio Cabanela
in July 1921 and Alberto
Jangalay in October 1971
both dying in the ring;
John Moralde surviving in
March and Carlo Maagali
in September 2015.
Browne was knocked
out at Ingleburn RSL Club
on Friday, September
11, and died on Tuesday,
September 15, 2015 at
Liverpool Hospital.
It was only months
after another Australian
boxing champion, Brayd
Smith, had died following
a match against another
Filipino import, John
Moralde.
Carlo Magali, right, bores in under Davey Browne’s left jab to come closer for his counter-attack.
The circumstances
between the two tragedies
differed: A boxing official
who was at ringside said he
believed Browne was “out
cold before he hit the floor”
and never recovered.
In the fight on
Saturday, March 14, Smith
completed 12 rounds and
posed for photographs with
M oralde before returning
to his dressing room,
collapsing, and then dying
in hospital two days later.
The similarity was that
both fights were scheduled
for 12 rounds with regional
world titles at stake: The
Browne v Magali fight
was for the World Boxing
Council (WBC) Eurasia
Pacific featherweight title.
The Smith v Moralde
fight was for the World
Boxing Council (WBC)
Asian Continental
featherweight title.
Moralde had been a
last-minute substitute
to challenge Smith for
the vacant title. The
Browne v Magali fight had
been set for May 23, but
rescheduled by promoters
for September 15.
Meantime, there has
been renewed calls to ban
boxing in Australia.
The Australian
Medical Association
went further and called
for banning boxing from
the Olympic Games and
Commonwealth Games
as well as prohibiting all
forms of combat sports for
men and women under the
age of 18 years.
Similar calls have been
issued for years.
Padilla completes Ironman
PINOZ Magellan
‘Jun’ Padilla
completed the
Port Macquarie
Ironman 70.3 Port
Macquarie swimbike-run race in
6hr 26min 6sec
representing FilOz
Triathlon Club
recently.
It was not the easiest
courses of the local
Ironman circuit. The bike
ride was a challenging
climb up Matthew Flinders
Drive.
Padilla’s day kicked off
well in the 1.9km swim on
the Hastings River, using
the other participants to
guide him throughout so
he did not spend too much
time rounding the buoys.
He was out of the water
in 42min :27sec.
The 90km, 2-lap bike
leg was the toughest,
according to Padilla.
He was averaging
30kph up to the 75km,
when he hit the climbing
section on Matthew
Flinders Drive.
Padilla had to get off
the bike and walk up the
hill because he was starting
to develop leg cramps.
Once he got to the top
of the climb, it was a downhill cruise, giving him time
to recover for the run.
Padilla completed the
bike ride in 3hr 16min
5sec.
The final leg of the
race, a 21km run after
completion of a hard
bike ride, was daunting
challenge to running at
his intended 5-5:15 km/hr
pace.
But Padilla knew it was
just a matter of soldiering
on to complete the race as
every Ironman would do.
He battled cramps
almost after every 2km of
running until the 12km
mark, where he managed
to pick up the pace, albeit
still slower than he would
have liked.
He managed to surge
in the last 2km to complete
the run leg in 02:22:34.
He battled cramps almost after every
2km of running until the 12km
mark, where he managed to pick up
the pace, albeit still slower than
he would have liked.
Magellan ‘Jun’ Padilla on his Ironman bike segment.
This is the print issue of PinozInPlay, everything about Pinoys in the Australian sporting arena.
Feel free to send your stories, your sport photos, game calendars and all that has
something to do with the world of sports. Visit pinozinplay.com or find PinOzInPlay
in Facebook.
E-mail: [email protected]
November 2015