Two heavyweight boxers received a four-month suspension of their boxing licenses from the Boxing Commission of Fiji. This decision was made following an incident that occurred during a match on Saturday at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka, between Fiji heavyweight champion James ‘The Beast’ Singh and Semi Dauloloma.
Minister of Youth and Sports, Jese Saukuru, expressed disappointment regarding the event and called for swift action. After a meeting with the Minister, BCF chairman Adi Narayan criticized the incident, describing it as a disgrace to boxing. “As the chairman of the Boxing Commission of Fiji, I am very disturbed to witness such an incident,” Narayan stated at a press conference.
The Minister emphasized that the Ministry would not overlook such behavior in professional boxing, stressing that both boxers should have exhibited exemplary sportsmanship. Singh currently holds the heavyweight championship title in Fiji, while Dauloloma is the holder of the Leweni Waqa Memorial heavyweight belt.
The decision for suspension came after consultations with the Minister of Sports. Narayan mentioned that both boxers will be barred from participating for the next four months, stating, “Come 2025, they will start clean and fresh.” He noted that the suspension serves as a warning to all boxers, and remarked that if Dauloloma had taken a pause during the fight, he might have secured a victory.
The heavyweight title remains with Singh, affirming that he is still the champion.
The altercation happened during their title fight when Singh struck Dauloloma while they were both on the ground. In the first round, Singh was knocked down by a hook from Dauloloma. In the second round, Dauloloma trapped Singh against the ropes, leading to a series of punches exchanged between them, which resulted in both falling to the canvas.
While the referee attempted to separate the boxers, Singh landed two punches on Dauloloma while he was down. As tensions escalated, Dauloloma reacted angrily and charged at Singh but was restrained by ring officials. The situation intensified with punches being thrown between both boxers’ corners, inadvertently hitting a ring official. Ultimately, the match was halted and declared a no-contest.