Hats off to The Fight Network for staying on top of the most underreported story of 2007, now 2008. To wit:
The fighter collapsed moments after his unanimous decision win over Indonesian Hari Amol on December 25th in Seoul, and never regained consciousness.
According to the article, the family of Choi plan to remove the boxer from life support this week.
I am very conflicted about reporting stories like this. You have to have genuine heartfelt sorrow for Choi, his family, his opponent, and combat athletics enthusiasts everywhere. But our sport, despite its progress, is still under siege for its perceived brutality and lethality. So as a matter of public record events like this should be brought to light when appropriate. We should do so delicately and not to catch critics in "Gotcha!" moments, but glancing over situations such as this do the sport, its fighters and the safety regulations no justice.
Rest in peace, Yo-Sam Choi. You will be missed.
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