Eyewitness slams ref for near mishap

A series of damaging blows, not a heat stroke, led to Cebu fighter Sammy Boco’s collapse in a Pan Asia Boxing Association (PABA) minimumweight title bout against Pornsawan Porpamook Kratingdaeng-Gym in the Cambodian border town of Polpot, an eyewitness told The STAR yesterday.

Silvestre Abainza, one of three judges in last Thursday’s scheduled 12-round fight, lashed out at Thai referee Radong Nabangchan for failing to prevent Pornsawan from attacking a defenseless Boco and said the Filipino was lucky to escape permanent injury.

Boco, 22, battled Pornsawan toe-to-toe from the opening bell and hurt the Thai with a right cross to the jaw late in the fourth round. But he ran out of steam under the hot afternoon sun in the open-air makeshift ring beside a gambling casino in Polpot, about 300 kilometers from Bangkok.

Abainza recounted that a shot to the jaw dropped Boco for an eight-count early in the fifth. Boco got up shaky and the referee signaled it was over. As Pornsawan’s handlers prepared to enter the ring to celebrate, the Thai rushed Boco whose gloves were down. Boco was on the way back to his corner when Pornsawan launched the brutal ambush. Abainza counted at least five punches that landed before Boco fell.

"Tapos na ang laban at tinigil na ng referee," said Abainza. "Di ko maintindihan kung bakit pinabayaan ng referee na bugbugin pa si Boco." At least three blows struck Boco’s jaw. The others pounded his midsection. Boco tried to defend himself but was clearly in no condition to stave off Pornsawan.

After order was restored, Boco staggered back to his corner. He sat on his stool a few seconds before Thai officials ordered him out of the ring as the next fight was about to be announced. Boco never reached his dressing room. He collapsed after leaving the ring and was rushed to a nearby hospital on a stretcher. Abainza said he was told by Thai matchmaker Narong Intrakol that ringside physician Dr. Veerayuth reported both Boco’s eyes did not respond to light.

Boco’s problems didn’t end there. There was a 45-minute delay in the Thai border as immigration authorities checked on Boco’s papers even as he lay out cold in a car, according to Abainza. Boco was later admitted to a district hospital in Aranyaprapet, the first Thai town from the Cambodian border.

Abainza, a decorated Makati policeman, said he was dissuaded by Narong from accompanying Boco to the hospital because his flight back to Manila was scheduled the next day and Polpot was a 3-1/2-hour ride away from Bangkok, his exit point.

Abainza arrived here Friday. He said before leaving Bangkok, he was assured by Narong that Boco had regained consciousness but would stay in the hospital for a week before returning home.

Games and Amusements Board (GAB) physician Dr. Nasser Cruz said Thai officials should not have ordered Boco out of the ring without making sure he had regained his senses. It is important, he added, that a fighter, fresh from a knockout, must lie still and rest for several minutes before moving. Announcing the next fight is no excuse to risk the life of a human being, noted Cruz.

Abainza said in his scorecard, Boco won only the first round as the Thai proved too tough. Although it was only Pornsawan’s second pro outing, he had fought over 200 Muay Thai bouts. Pornsawan left kickboxing after running out of opposition and captured the vacant PABA 105-pound title via third round disposal of Juharum Silaban in Sakaew, Thailand, last Nov. 28.

It is not unusual for experienced former Muay Thai fighters to figure in pro title bouts without the benefit of a long career. Veerapol Sahaprom, for instance, bagged the World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight crown in only his fourth pro outing.

Abainza said Boco never backed down in the fight. "Matapang yung bata," continued Abainza. "Walang takot. Palitan sila ni Pornsawan. Mas mabibigat lang ang mga suntok ni Pornsawan."

Abainza said Pornsawan was on the verge of a knockdown after absorbing a right cross in the fourth round but was saved by the bell. That proved to be Boco’s last surge.

Before Boco’s fight, another Cebuano Wendyl Janiola, the Philippine lightflyweight champion, scored a major upset in outpointing former WBC titleholder Saman Sorjaturong.

Abainza said the Thai referee was picked from the Muay Thai ranks of the Lumpinee Stadium and had no extensive experience in international boxing. He insisted that the near-tragedy could’ve been avoided if only the referee stepped in to prevent Pornsawan from attacking Boco after he had stopped the fight.

Boco’s manager Terry Carter, who is in Manila, said he will bring the stricken fighter to doctors in Cebu for a complete checkup as soon as he arrives home late this week.