Alifereti Kauyaca, red gloves, beat Joseph Kwajdo on 3 March. Photo: Screengrab / Fiji Sun
Fiji's cruiserweight boxing champion has been stripped off his title after being caught to have used illegal hand-wrapping in a boxing promotion to defend his title in the capital Suva two weeks ago.
Alivereti Kauyaca, who won on points over Fiji-based Ghanaian boxer Joseph Kwadjo on 3 March, was reportedly "caught in the act" of using illegal wraps.
Reports of "a boxer using cement plaster" in his hand wrapping first surfaced on the popular Fiji Boxing Update Facebook group, where many fans expressed concerns about the practice and calling for a life ban for the boxer involved.
On Thursday, Boxing Commission of Fiji (BCF) chairman Adi Narayan confirmed to local media "the wraps that was on [Kauyaca's] hands were not authorised by boxing commission".
He said prior to the fight, the BCF director inspected the boxer's hand wrapping and instructed him to remove it because they were illegal.
Kauyaca was then provided with the appropriate hand wrapping before going on to beat Kwadjo.
"So that [illegal wrapping] was not used. Social media says he used it. That is wrong. That's fake news," Narayan said.
"We received complaints from Kwajdo camp and also from our director who was present and the referee."
He admitted "it's very annoying" that boxers in the country were resorting illegal antics.
He said that the BCF decided "after a lengthy discussion" on Thursday to strip Kauyaca off his title.
"He has been informed of the board's decision and the Kwadjo camp has been told."
However, Narayan said Kauyaca and Kwadjo will have the first opportunity to "have a go at the title again" if they want to fight for the title again "if there is a promoter".
