Simran Chand 
Questions have been raised on why the fight between Ubayd Haider and Runqi Zhou wasn’t stopped earlier at last weekend’s South Pacific Boxing Promotion event in Nadi.
According to Fiji Boxing Commission Chair Adi Narayan, only two people are authorized to halt a boxing match, the referee and the fighter’s corner men.
However, Narayan revealed that Haider’s corner men were unlicensed, raising concerns about their oversight in the match.
“The referee is the only individual authorized to stop a contest, so it’s very that the referee had the option to stop the fight, obviously he did not as he saw Ubayd fit till round 9. However, the honors also lie with the corner man of the box. I don’t know who were Haider’s cornerman, when I checked with my licensing officer, we got to know that the two individuals were not licensed.”
Narayan says that Haider’s corner men might have been sponsors and expresses concern that unlicensed corner men may not fully understand the responsibility or boxing regulations required to safeguard a fighter in critical situations.
He says if Haider’s team had recognized the risk, they could have stepped in to end the fight earlier to protect him from further blows.
Justin Kennedy served as the IBO Ring Supervisor for the event, bringing in referees from the organization, while local judges were appointed to officiate the match.
FBC Sports has reached out to Haider’s team for comments.
