Saturday, January 12, 2008 Quijano: Awesome Yosam will be remembered By Jingo Quijano Last Round
LAST Round tolls the bell for Yo-sam Choi of Korea who died after winning his match against Heri Amol of Indonesia. Choi’s death, which was announced officially on Jan. 2, 2008 after he was removed from the ventilator, started off 2008 on a somber note for the sport of boxing.
Choi was the WBC light flyweight world champion from October 1999 to July 2002 and had a career record of 32 wins, 5 losses and 19 knockouts. He was the one who handed our very own Bert Batawang his first pro loss way back in 1995 and also owns wins over Filipino contenders Jun Arlos, and Reggie Palabrica.
AWESOME. Even in death, Yo-sam gave life to others as his internal organs were reportedly donated to nine other patients. Eerily, he might have foretold his death in a training log that he kept-- the contents of which were recently made public.
According to a news item from the Yonhap News Agency (english.yon-hapnews.co.kr) Yosam’s log revealed his state of mind from the summer of 2006 to moments just before that fatal bout.
Pro boxing is not anymore a major sport in South Korea, and Choi reportedly felt bad about many of his friends leaving him after the Asian financial crisis dried up funding for the sport.
Here are some of Yosam’s awesome thoughts on his life and on the sport that he loved:
“I feel my limits. I have rested too long… I miss so much the people who have left me. Will boxing leave me, too?”
“I will do it without fail. My father will help me along the way. Let’s go the lonely path to where my dream lies.” (Yosam’s father is already dead)
“I just want to live a simple life in a pretty house on a green landscape with someone I love. Now, I don’t like the smell of blood any more. ... I’m just afraid of tomorrow.” (written in August of last year)
“Not much time is left. Will I be a loser again? I can’t concentrate. I just want to end it all.”
“One step back, then I die. This is a match on the brink.” (The last entry before his final bout)
STATS. Expectedly, Choi’s death once again gave anti-boxing activists new ammunition in their quest for the sport’s abolition. Is boxing the deadliest of them all?
According to a www.answers.com, a study was published in 1984 by R.J. McCunney and P.K. Russo entitled “Brain Injuries in Boxing”.
The study showed that boxing is relatively safe compared to other sports based on U.S. sports fatalities. Per 100,000 participants, horse-racing ranked first with 123. Hang gliding (whatever that is), came in second with 56. Boxing was a dismal seventh with 1.3 deaths.
What does the foregoing imply? First of all, abolition is certainly not the solution. The sport’s modern form has been around us since the 18th century and its origins can be traced back to ancient Egypt.
Today, it is a multibillion dollar industry generating income for millions of people around the world.
Banning the sport will only give rise to underground and unsanctioned blood fights in secluded arenas where it cannot be monitored by proper government agencies.
The sport itself has also evolved in terms of proper training methods and safety measures during fights. CAT scans and MRI’s are now available, together with the best medical care possible.
Boxers are now wearing bigger sized gloves and the number of rounds had been reduced. The involvement of nutritionists and therapists for most boxers had become predominant in their training regimen.
What more needs to be done? (to be concluded tomorrow)
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on Marcelino and Mimi Maureen Co, doting parents of Monty Maximilian Lim-Co who turns a year old today. Cheers!
