A total of 150 professional boxers in the Philippines have been banned for falsifying brain scan results aimed at detecting serious head injuries in the sport, regulators said yesterday.
The Philippine government has been imposing strict medical testing procedures following the deaths of several Filipino boxers from injuries sustained in professional fights in previous years.
“The welfare and safety of our boxers is part of our mandate. We do not want any more boxing deaths,” Philippine Games and Amusements Board chairman Abraham Kahlil Mitra told reporters.
The ban means one in seven of the nation’s 1,054 professional boxers are not allowed to step on the ring, the sports regulator said.
The board found 150 boxers had submitted “fake” CT scan results this year, apparently because they could not afford an actual test, the board’s medical officer Radentor Viernes told reporters.
About half of those blacklisted have since submitted the required medical examinations and the ban against them will be reviewed, Mitra said.
The board is also investigating the involvement of other parties in the CT scan fraud, he said.
In 2012, undefeated flyweight Karlo Maquinto, aged 21, collapsed and later died from a brain injury after only his ninth pro fight, having rallied from two early knockdowns to salvage a majority draw.
Two other professional boxers also died from ring injuries in 2005 and 2008, Mitra said.
Apart from the boxing deaths, Viernes said the board had also refused to renew the licenses of five other boxers due to brain injuries or fluid build-up.
Four of them had been diagnosed with “minute haemorrhage” from blood vessels in the brain, believed to have been sustained in previous fights, while the fifth had brain oedema, Viernes said.
The Philipines is a boxing hotbed that has produced the likes of legendary Manny Pacquiao, winner of world titles in an unprecedented eight different weight divisions.
For many in the nation, Pacquiao is an icon and role model and prizefighting offers one of the shortest tickets to fame and fortune for young males.
However, Mitra said that many success-starved fighters were earning puny prizes and could not afford CT scans that the Philippine Ministry of Health says cost at least 6,000 pesos (US$170) or the more expensive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans costing almost three times as much.
“We’ve been criticized for being too strict, but still that’s our job and we maintain it that way,” he said.
Ohilippine Secretary of Health Paulyn Ubial told reporters that the government had no plans to outlaw boxing, only to “regulate” it.
To help cash-strapped boxers and prevent more boxing deaths, Mitra and Ubial said that government hospitals would offer free medical tests to locals applying for professional boxing licenses.
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
RSS