Boxing Commission of Fiji (BCF) chair Adi Narayan said they have to ensure strict rules for the boxers' safety. Photo: Facebook / Boxing Fiji
Boxers who do not produce medical certificates clearing them off injuries will not be allowed to fight in future programs in Fiji, the sport's governing body in the country says.
Boxing Commission of Fiji (BCF) chair Adi Narayan said they have to ensure strict rules for the boxers' safety, as a Commission of Inquiry, set up by the Sports Ministry in Suva, continues its work of investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of former champion Ubayd Haider in November.
Haider, also known as Nathan Singh, collapsed after his fight against Runqi Zhou in Nadi in October and did not recover from an urgent surgery performed on him
Narayan told reporters at the weekend they will demand medical certificates from now on, and if anyone is found not to be 100 percent, they will not be allowed to fight.
BCF has been under fire since Haider tragic passing.
It was later revealed, as he fought for his life at the Lautoka Aspen Hospital, that the late boxer had been admitted at the Liverpool Hospital in Sydney in late 2023 with suspected brain damage.
Ubayd Haider, aka Nathan Singh, is fighting for his life. Photo: Facebook / Ubaid Haidar
Narayan emphasised that moving forward, the Commission will not permit boxers with injuries to enter the ring.
He stressed that proper procedures will be strictly followed to ensure all fighters are medically cleared by doctors before competing.
He highlighted the case of champion Winston Hill, who only revealed after his fight in Nadi in October, that he was injured while training for the fight.
"That sort of thing should not be allowed," Narayan told Fiji TV.
"If you are injured, let the promoter and the Commission know you are injured, because you go there, you might make that injury worse, and then you blame the commission and the promoter.
"That shouldn't be. If you bring a medical certificate, we look at it, and then we'll postpone your fight to the next program. But don't come and fight and say, I'm good. And then after the fight, you tell the people that, oh, I was injured but I fought and won the title."
Narayan said he and the Commission have copped the flak since the late Haider's death.
Two weeks ago, two prominent Fijian boxing officials called on the BCF to use safety guidelines in place to protect boxers.
Sydney-based trainer Lepani Wilson called for tougher measures to protect Fijian boxers.
Wilson said the safety of boxers, or other sports athletes' safety for that matter, should always be the top priority.
He questioned whether this was something that the Boxing Commission of Fiji (BCF) and boxing officials in Suva are ignoring.
"That should always be top priority," he said.
"In our day, we worked hard to make sure safety was always the focus," the former Professional Boxing and Wrestling Association of Fiji executive officer added.
Wilson said money should be secondary to promoters and officials, and if that had been followed, the late Haider would still be alive today.
Former Fijian amateur rep and boxing referee Setoki Mafi also called on the BCF to do their job and make sure their officials are checking on boxers and trainers before anyone is allowed to fight.
Mafi said it was important that boxers are medically cleared, and trainers are also checked that they know what they are supposed to be doing during a fight.
"The Commission should have reps there, checking, making sure everything is 100 percent to go and if they see that there are signs things may not be okay then stop boxers from fighting or if they are fighting already, stop the fight," Mafi said.
"What happened could have been avoided if the safety aspect was taken seriously."
Meanwhile, the late Haider's brother Sebastian Singh is calling on the BCF and the Ministry of Sport to update them on what is happening with the investigation being done.
Singh said his family have no clue about the investigation and hopes their findings are revealed soon.
Fiji's Minister of Sports Jese Saukuru said they will release the report findings once work is completed.
In another development, the Liverpool Hospital said they will not deny or confirm if the copy of a medical report circulated widely in Fiji and on social media following the late Haider's collapse, was a genuine copy from the hospital.
"Liverpool Hospital cannot provide information on patients for privacy reasons," the hospital said in their response to RNZ Pacific's queries about the report.
The report, dated 8 November 2023 said the boxer, who was born Nathaniel Singh, was admitted to the hospital after three days of constant headaches, following sparring sessions he was involved in while training in Sydney.
The report revealed the boxer had been admitted with possible subdural haemorrhage.
It also stated that the late boxer left the hospital without proper hospital authority.