Yohannes Christian John is sure to become a boxing legend in his homeland. For eight years, he held the featherweight class World Boxing title and 17 years defended it. On April 14, Chris 'the Dragon' John defended his title for the 18th time.
Before the recent bout, in his professional career, Chris John, 35, has competed 50 times, which he won 48 times and two ended in a draw. Of his wins, 22 were knockouts.
Chris John began his career as an amateur box at the age of 15 years. Three years later, he decided to go professional, saying there were not too many competitions among the amateurs. "I better not spend my years as an amateur," he said.
The key to the success of his wins in the ring is nothing more than discipline, a lesson he learnt from father and from Sutan Rambing, the trainer who discovered his talent. "Without discipline, one can't last very long as a champion," said Sutan.
The following are excerpts of Tempo's interview with Christ before he began his fight last week.
How do you see professional boxing in Indonesia?
There are many talented boxers in Indonesia, and many more are attracted to it. The problem is that there are not enough competitions or tournaments in Indonesia. Boxers not only need training, they need to box professionally, to compete. There used to be competitions. Today, there are very few.
There have been many accidents in the ring.
This is a warning for our boxing commission. It seems this has not changed. If there are accidents in the ring, why haven't we done anything about it? We should have learnt how to overcome the problem.
What is cause of those accidents?
First, it's the external factor. This is linked with the lack of knowledge of the trainer or the athlete about the dangers to the boxer in the ring. Second, it's the perspective of the matchmaker, the promoter or organization. Actually all this has been discussed often. Yet, they don't seem to do anything about it.
Such as?
For example, the importance of drinking water to protect the boxer's condition. This is important so the boxer does not experience anything bad inside the ring. But are they caring about this issue? Many boxers died inside the ring because they lack liquid in their brain. After weighing their bodies, boxers usually lose a lot of their body liquids, and they should be getting some electrolits into their bodies. When that happens, they should look at the color of the urine. Never let it be muddy.
What have you done to manage so long in professional boxing?
I just do my thing as an athlete with responsibility. I am focussed and serious about the world I chose to be in.
Chris also told Tempo why he decided to turn professional, the mental discipline his father reinforced him with, and why a boxer should have an amateur stint before going pro. The complete interview can be found in this week's edition of Tempo magazine.
