AGAD na kumilos ang Games And Amusement Board (GAB) matapos na diumanoy maging biktima ang isang Pinoy boxer sa hindi patas na desisyon kamakailan sa Thailand.
Nagpadala ng “protest letter” ang naturang ahensiya sa Thailand promoter at World Boxing Council (WBC) Asian Boxing Council hinggil sa resulta ng laban ng Pinoy fighter na si Romshane Sarguilla kontra kay Thai boxer Siridech Deebook nitong Agosto 17, 2019 sa Workpoint Studio, Bang Phun, Thailand.
Ang sulat na may petsang Agosto 22, 2019 ay pirmado nina GAB chairman Abraham ‘Baham’ Mitra at mga commissioner na sina Eduard Trinidad at Mario Masanguid.
Sa kabila ng dalawang ulit na pagkakataon na napatumba ni Sarguilla ang karibal, natalo ang Pinoy sa pamamagitan ng unanimous decision sa iskor na 58-56 (mula sa dalawang hurado) at 57-56.
Hiniling ng GAB na ma-reviewe ang naturang laban at magsagawa ng rematch kung kinakailangan. Iginiit ni Mitra na kung walang katugunan dito ang naturang boxing body, mapipilitan ang Pilipinas na suspindihin ang paglaban ng Pinoy fighters sa Thailand.
“Considering the calls from the Filipino boxing community and the historic trend that Filipino boxers lose if they don’t knock down the opponent, the GAB is inclined to suspend authorizing Filipino boxers to fight in Thailand,” sabi ni Mitra, na kamakailan lamang ay naitalaga ng WBC bilang miyembro ng Boxing Rating Committee.
“Being at the forefront of regulation and supervision, the GAB is mandated to ensure the safety and welfare of professional boxing stakeholders. We in GAB continue to work closely with our international counterparts and other international boxing organizations to promote and maintain orderly and fair conduct of matches and keep the integrity within professional boxing,” dagdag ni Mitra.
Ayon kay Mitra, kaagad ang naging aksyon ng GAB matapos mapanood at marebyu ang laban ni Sarguilla sa Thailand.
“Matagal na itong problema ng mga fighters natin. Dinadaya tayo, kung hindi mo mapapabagsak ang Thai opponent mo tiyak talo ang boxer natin,” ani Mitra, direktang iginiit ito sa kanyang sulat.
“The review panel came to a common observation that in the fifth round there was a legitimate knockdown coming from a clean and quick uppercut which may have been overlooked by the referee. Consequently, the impact of the punch in the fifth round caused the Thai boxer to lose his balance based on the sliding of his left foot. Furthermore, GAB, being the regulatory and supervisory authority of professional boxing in the Philippines, express our deep concern over various complaints regarding the frequency of losses of Filipino boxers fighting in Thailand,” sabi pa ni Mitra.