Boxing: Battle to save image

By GRAHAM REID

It was Bob Dylan, surprisingly enough, who wrote two of the best songs about boxing. His probing Hurricane of 1976 is well-known as a snarling diatribe against the prosecution and conviction for murder of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.

But a much younger Dylan also wrote Who Killed Davey Moore? about the death of an American featherweight in 1963 at the hands of the Cuban fighter Urtiminio "Sugar" Ramos.

The song is a litany of those who deny responsibility for Moore's death in hospital after the fight: the referee, the crowd, his manager, the gambler ("I didn't commit no ugly sin. Anyway, I put money on him to win"), and the boxing writer. Finally there is Moore's opponent who says "I hit him, I hit him, yes it's true, but that's what I am paid to do ... "

Boxing is a brutal sport by any definition. To be successful requires inflicting pain on an opponent. It may be a science and an art form but people also get hurt. Some fatally.

When little-known Auckland amateur boxer Peter Williams was admitted to Timaru Hospital with serious head injuries late on Monday night after winning his super heavyweight final, boxing officials were mystified as to why this fighter, who wasn't troubled in his bout against fellow Aucklander Henry Tuisaemo, should suddenly collapse. He had seemed fine afterwards and had chatted with friends.

Something was clearly amiss and attention focused on the medical book which is his fight record. There are now suspicions Williams' book is incomplete and possibly incorrect - and that has exposed a flaw in the protocols.

If, as happened in Williams' case, a fighter declares his book lost, the authorities rely on the honesty of the boxer to declare his past record when applying for a new one.

Keith Walker, chairman of Boxing New Zealand, says 95 per cent of boxers are honest. But since the weekend, checks have shown Williams' record is inconsistent. In 1997 the fighter declared two losses, which doesn't tally with what he stated in August when applying for a new book. Then he declared he'd had nine bouts: eight wins and only one loss.

Gary McCrystal, president of the Auckland Boxing Association to whom Williams applied for the new book, says he can understand the fighter might not have had his old one because a considerable period had elapsed since he last registered. This isn't uncommon in a sport where boxers may fight only once or twice, then give it up for a few years. It is also a sport which draws participants from lower socio-economic groups, some of whom tend to be itinerant.

When registering, boxers are asked to declare they have not fought in rebel bouts, have not been knocked out recently, and to reveal any pre-existing medical condition. Williams replied no to every question, says McCrystal. But there are questions about what Williams did between 1997 and applying for the new book just two months ago.

McCrystal says in 1997 he was approached by Williams who said he wanted to train in Cuba. McCrystal drafted a letter of support which was submitted to BNZ to give the fighter clearance under international protocols to go.

At that point Williams, with his father it is believed, left for Cuba and wasn't heard from again until this year.

What happened over there, and after he left that country, is now under scrutiny. If he fought there - or indeed elsewhere - he appears not to have declared it in August.

Walker says BNZ has made enquiries with Cuban authorities but there is a boxing congress on in Cairo which Cuba is attending. A reply from the Cubans could take time.

McCrystal says because of their international reputation the Cubans are meticulous when it comes to medicals and competitions and wouldn't jeopardise their reputation "with some kid from Down Under who has permission to train with the national boxing squad".

However, if a fighter boxes in non-sanctioned fights Cuban authorities wouldn't necessarily know about it. Which is why the onus of an honest declaration falls on the fighter.

For their part, boxing authorities say they keep close medical checks on fighters. Before a fight an approved doctor carries out a medical, and details of a fighter's blood pressure, pulse, respiratory system and other factors are recorded - in the case of ABA, by a member of the executive committee.

Amateur boxers affiliated with BNZ also have their fight history recorded after a bout by a doctor or tournament official which is then lodged with the office in Wellington.

Walker insists the fight game for the 432 registered amateurs in this country is safe and statistics from the Accident Compensation Corporation would seem to bear that out.

Boxing takes up such a small percentage of ACC casework that it isn't among the 60 codes listed but is factored in with "other". In a sport as punishing as boxing that would seem to vindicate the system.

"Boxing New Zealand have processes in place which are squeaky clean and an administration which is probably second-to-none in the Oceania region," says Walker. "The policies we put in place are for the safety of our sport and our boxers and we never want to see those flaunted or wavered from."

That said, BNZ has no jurisdiction or clout over "rebel organisations" which can schedule unsanctioned bouts.

While Williams, who was fighting in a BNZ-sanctioned tournament, would have had a thorough medical to get his book in August he is now in hospital. His condition is stable with some signs of improvement, but he is on the serious list and, according to one source, "a very sick boy".

Walker notes, however, should Williams recover fully and wish to fight again in this country he will find his path blocked. He won't be given a medical book, "but that doesn't mean he can't box as an amateur. He could go over to Australia tomorrow and not say anything and apply for a medical book there on the same grounds as he has done here.

"If we've learned nothing else from this it is that we will soon have a database in place whereby we can have this information. But you must realise we are a very poor sport and the time spent in our office is colossal. The lady who works there probably [does] 30 hours outside the terms of her employment just to do the mundane and everyday workings of our system."

The administration end may be stretched but Walker notes Williams would have had two medicals: on the day of weigh-in and another on the day he fought - but, contrary to recent suggestions, it is not mandatory to have a check after a bout.

If a doctor has a suspicion of a problem or a fighter is knocked out then medical checks are conducted. But in Williams' case there was no cause for concern. He won by a points differential of 16 and at no time looked in trouble.

When a tragedy like that which befell 27-year-old Williams occurs, there is an understandable desire by the responsible authorities to distance themselves until all the facts are in.

ABA president McCrystal isn't convinced Williams' injury is boxing related: "I've been through that tape and quite honestly he got hit twice; one was a reasonably heavy shot, but nothing that you'd say in boxing was devastating. We can't work out why he was so well afterwards for two or three hours and then deteriorated."

Unfortunately there are few clear indicators of potential medical problems. Almost four decades ago Davey Moore picked himself up off the canvas in the 10th round, indicated he was okay, and was giving an interview later and calling for a rematch when he suddenly said, "I've got such a headache." They were the last words he ever spoke.

And this July, Panamanian fighter Pedro Alcazar died in Las Vegas the night after he was beaten defending his super flyweight title. The fight had been stopped in the sixth round and a wobbly Alcazar had walked back to his corner. Neurologist Margaret Goodman climbed through the ropes and spoke to him in Spanish. When she shone a light into his eyes, she checked his neurological signs. None seemed out of the ordinary.

The following day he was in good spirits, posing for pictures and signing autographs. Later that evening, however, he was found dying on the bathroom floor of his hotel, his brain so badly swollen that its blood supply had been cut off.

"Any other case we've heard of, looked into or seen autopsy reports from, there's never been this kind of a fatal injury in a fighter," Goodman said. "Obviously there are a lot of things we don't know. There are a lot of things we'll never know."