Untested Filipino foreign stars slip past BSA’s medical checks

Flippino foreign stars
Flippino foreign stars
The Filipino boxing scandal where scores of boxers have been found to be using falsified medicals may have affected local boxing scene.

This is due to the number of Filipino boxers who have been regularly shipped to fight against local boxers in the region.

And after the Philippines boxing control structure, Games and Amusements Board, revealed alarming figures of boxers who have been found to be fighting on false brain scans, chances are that local boxers have also been affected being pitted against medical cheats.

Boxing SA-Eastern Cape manager Phakamile Jacobs confirmed that it was possible that some Filipino boxers may have submitted false brain scans when fighting locally.

This is due to lax rules by local authorities when screening foreign boxers.

For instance BSA does subject foreign boxers to its own brain scan tests nor does it verify those submitted by visiting boxers.

“To force promoters to do independent brain scans would cripple them because the tests are expensive,” said Jacobs. “So we accept those medical certificates foreign boxers bring is authentic.”

Jacobs said the national regulatory structure only conducts HIV tests and Hepatitis and then give foreign boxers a pass to fight.

In the case of female boxers pregnancy tests are also compulsory with Jacobs flagging many false reports.

“We have detected a number of false pregnancy tests by visiting boxers,” he confirmed.

“In one instance we stopped a female bout when a visiting boxer submitted a handwritten pregnancy report.”

While BSA’s strictness is appreciated but its failure to jerk up measures to retest visiting boxers for brain scans and ACT scan may be allowing undeserving boxers to fight in local shores.

This contrary to countries such as England where its regulatory body insists on retesting foreign boxers for brain scan and poor sight.

Several SA boxers including wellknown Philip Ndou were prevented from England when they failed brain scans despite being passed to fight by local structure.

Others who were flagged include the late Mdantsane boxer Luvuyo Kakaza when he failed an eye test.

Jacobs said it would be impossible to jerk up medical prerequisites due combat possible ring fatalities by foreign boxers fighting locally.

“Fortunately we have had any ring fatalities of foreign boxers in our shores.

“But we are not saying we should not be proactive so that the status quo does not change.”

While a good number of Filipino boxers have proven to be stepping stones for locals, there are few who have upset the applecart.

The biggest of them remains Mdantsane hero Nkosinathi Joyi’s stunning first round knockout defeat by Filipino Rey Loreto for the IBO junior-flyweight title a stone throw away from Joyi’s NU1 home in Mdantsane.

The other mildly shocking loss was Makazole Tete’s near tragic first-round brutal stoppage by unheralded Filipino Jonas Sultan in December last year.

The loss not only robbed Tete of his IBF Intercontinental title and world title route but it all but ended Tete’s superfluous career.

Reigning SA flyweight champion Thembelani Nxoshe also succumbed to a Filipino when he lost to Rene Dacquel for the IBO Intercontinental belt. — Boxing Mecca

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