WBC chief orders probe into Pinoy boxer’s injury

from: abs-cbnnews.com 

MANILA, Philippines – World Boxing Council (WBC) President Jose Sulaiman has ordered a probe into the injury sustained by Filipino boxer Edrin Dapudong during his fight against Wilbert Uicab of Mexico last month.

In a letter sent to Dong Secuya of Philboxing.com, Sulaiman said he will forward the result of the probe to the WBC convention, which will take place on November 1 to 6 in Cancun, Mexico.

Former North Cotabato Gov. Manny Piñol, who handles Dapudong, earlier complained that his fighter sustained unusual cuts on his right shoulder and arm. He said some of the cuts, totaling 20, looked like blade wounds.

“Those scratches look obviously bad, but reviewing them with care, they look more like finger scratches than blows of any kind. No punch thrown could leave a mark like that, they are scratches, so it would be interesting to see how were they produced,” said Sulaiman in his letter.

Dapudong lost his WBC silver flyweight crown to Uicab last September 17 via unanimous decision.

Piñol said he is offering no excuses for his boxer’s loss, adding that they're not questioning the outcome of the fight.

“No excuses offered, only analytical explanations to learn something from the setback,” Piñol said in his Philboxing.com column, Braveheart.

He, however, said that he wanted to put a stop to the use of dirty tricks inside the ring.

“Can you imagine if a boxer has this sharp object in the lace of his gloves and he keeps on scratching his opponent's face? It could seriously affect the outcome of the fight as the sharp object would cause deep cuts in the face and eyebrow,” said Piñol.

Sulaiman, meanwhile, reacted to an article published on Philboxing.com that blamed the Mexicans for the injury.

"I object respectfully, however, to the terms of the article putting a blame on Mexicans, as this might be insulting and humiliating to people of a country that have had nothing but hospitality, respect and recognition to all boxers from the Philippines who have come to fight in Mexico," he said.