Former Fiji Professional Boxing president Lepani Wilson has called on current Fiji Boxing Commission Chairperson Adi Narayan to resign.
Wilson, who is currently based in Sydney as a boxing trainer, said Narayan has lost touch with reality, and does not have any control of boxing in Fiji.
He pointed to the recent fiasco involving Fiji heavyweight boxer James Singh, who was knocked out in the first round of a bout in Melbourne last weekend.
Singh hit the canvas after Tongan heritage boxer Tevita Pomale pounded him into submission in just the first round of their fight.
Narayan told The Fiji Sun in Suva on Thursday he did not know about Singh’s trip and only knew about it after he saw coverage on social media.
He said the boxer and others who also fought at the same program and others in Australia last weekend, did not obtain proper release to fight overseas, which breached Part 14(3) of the Boxing Act.
“Honestly, I was quite surprised to see the video circulating on social media, and there was no release obtained from BCF for Singh’s overseas fight,” Narayan told The Fiji Sun.
“No boxer shall participate in a professional contest in another country except with the approval of the Commission given under Section 10(e).”
Adi Narayan, Boxing Commission of Fiji chairman.
FBC
Narayan said the Act states the penalty is a fine of $100,000 or imprisonment for five years.
In his response to Narayan’s claims and statement, Wilson said the chairman has “sadly lost the plot”.
“What he is telling Fiji is that he does not know what is happening and has lost control,
“There’s too much issues happening under his watch and it is time to go. He should do the honourable thing and resign.”
Wilson said Singh and his camp should also be taken to task, “because that show they put up was pathetic”.
“The guy looked like he never trained, he was unfit, he got smacked and punched around, and he did not show any effort at all.”
He added the poor showing is not a good result for Fiji Boxing in general and the Boxing Commission should be serious about their existence and why they were set up in the first place.
“I call on the Ministry of Sports, the boxing fraternity to get the chairman out. Nothing personal but he is not performing as he should be,” Wilson claimed.
“If he does not know that someone is leaving to come and fight overseas then that is a shame.”
Meanwhile, Wilson slammed the hefty fine of $100,000 included in the commission’s Act.
Wilson said fining a boxer that amount of money is “ridiculous”.
“I believe they need to review that and have suspensions in place instead.
“How can you fine a boxer that amount when he gets tops $10,000 for a good fight,” he added.
