After winning his December 25 WBO Intercontinental championship bout against Indonesian challenger Heri Amol, South Korean boxer Choi Yoi-Sam collapsed of traumatic brain injuries. He was rushed to Sonchunhyang University Hospital, where he was diagnosed as being in a coma. Yoi-Sam won the bout by decision after twelve rounds, but was knocked down in the last round of the fight, although officials could not say whether the blow that put him down was related to the brain injuries that caused the coma. Doctors performed surgery to stop brain swelling, but it is unclear whether the boxer will survive.
Yoi-sam’s collapse calls to mind the collapse of another South Korean boxer, Duk Koo Kim, who suffered brain injuries in a fight with Youngstown, Ohio boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, injuries that led to his death five days later. Although Sports Illustrated called Kim’s death “Tragedy in the Ring,” Warren Zevon reminds us in his song on Mancini that boxing is about being hit, so the consequences of it should never surprise us. Modern spectators are different from the Romans only in that once they have seen the Christians thrown to the lions they want to be able to wash their hands of guilt. If we want to enjoy bloodsport, we have to accept the stain.
