Boxer Chris John Itching to Get Back in the Game

By : Dominic Menor

Indonesian boxer Chris John stepped out of the interview room in a black shirt and jeans, and almost immediately attracted a small crowd of fans.

People tried to shake his hand, take a photo or catch a glimpse of the world champion.

Chris may have been out of the ring for a while, but his fans certainly haven’t lost touch.

Though most Indonesians are obsessed with football and badminton, Chris John has managed to draw interest in boxing.

Based on a report by television station RCTI, a copy of which was given to the marketing firm handling the boxer’s publicity, Chris’s matches ranked No. 1 in ratings on the day of the broadcasts.

According to statistics compiled by The Jakarta Globe, articles about Chris have received the most online hits this year among local sports stories.

As the face of Indonesian boxing, a sport that has sought to attract a larger following, Chris has definitely gained cult status.

But with limited action inside the ring, the boxer’s mass appeal could wear off.

While Chris is still trying to arrange his first fight for this year, all the big names in the featherweight division — which is currently considered the most exciting weight class in boxing — have already secured marquee bouts in the coming months.

World Boxing Association featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa of Cuba will square off with International Boxing Federation titleholder Orlando Salido of Mexico for a unification bout on Sept. 11, the same day that Mexican boxer Daniel Ponce de Leon, the WBA’s No. 1 contender for the title, is set to see action.

Puerto Rico’s Juanma Lopez, considered the next big thing in the lower weight classes, is tentatively scheduled to defend his World Boxing Organization title next month.

In January, Chris told the Globe he was eager to take on other marquee featherweights.

To underscore Chris’s odd situation, the top 10 boxers on the WBA’s featherweight list, including Indonesia’s Daud Cino Yordan, who is ranked No. 7, have fought at least once this year.

“One thing I’ve learned since I started boxing is that it takes a lot of effort to get the fights you want,” Chris said on Thursday.

Chris’s failure to land a fight, however, is due mostly to circumstances beyond his control.

His debut on US soil last year, — a turning point for any foreign-born boxer who wants to hit pay dirt — consisted of two fights with Rocky Juarez. The first bout ended in a draw, before Chris won in the second.

Some had hoped it was the beginning of Chris’s regular appearance in US boxing matches.

However, things did not turn out as hoped when Chris decided to hold his next fight in his home country. Though the American dream was within Chris’s grasp, his handlers found themselves considering a fight in Bali that was supposed to have been held in February.

But finding an opponent who was willing to fly east and take on the world champion proved a tough task, and plans for the fight fell through.

The Bali fight was rescheduled for May, but was shelved when Chris injured his arm during training. The match was reset for July but was called off again because of a rib injury Chris had sustained days before.

“Injuries are a common thing in boxing. Does that mean I’m weak? No, definitely not,” Chris said. “You can’t predict what is going to happen next. You just have to hope for the best.”

If things work out as planned, Chris will finally see action for the first time in more than a year, with a match against Argentinian boxer Fernando Saucedo set tentatively in November.

Chris’s situation is not unusual in the boxing world.

A number of fighters, including world champions, have gone more than a year without a bout for the same reasons — health issues, lack of interest from rival promoters or opponents backing off at the last minute.

With the flurry of activity in the 126-pound division, there is no reason why a boxer of Chris’s caliber wouldn’t be able to get a piece of the action.

Chris has faced big names like Juan Manuel Marquez, still the template for the smart and technically sound fighter.

“When I fought Marquez [in 2006], I thought he would be tough to beat because of his record, which was really good at the time,” Chris said.

“But after the bout, after battling him and feeling all his strength, his speed and just experiencing the kind of skill he brought inside the ring — that was when I realized I could fight with the best of them.”

There were times when Chris seemed to rely too much on his managers to set a match. There were also issues that he didn’t assert himself when it came to choosing an opponent.

However, Chris seems more decisive now.

Asked about the possibility of fighting Daud, he said: “We still want to figure out what the pros and the cons are if I face him. If the offer is good, then I have no problems with it. Let’s face it, the money issue is important.”

“But if that’s not the case, then I am sorry to say that I don’t see any reason why I should fight [Daud]. He’s just not on a world-class level,” he said.

Chris said he wouldn’t mind fighting twice or thrice a year.

“I could go for three fights a year, but I must prepare well,” he said. “It’s counterproductive to figure in three matches a year if you do not perform well.”

Though he has been sitting on the sidelines for some months now, Chris is as determined as ever to keep on boxing.

“I want to prove that I’m still capable of fighting, even though there a lot of people who doubt my ability at this stage,” he said.

There is no question that Chris needs to get back into the boxing ring again. Meanwhile, he can rest easy, knowing that his loyal supporters are still there, waiting patiently for his next match.

(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on Aug. 20, 2010. Photo: www.boxeo-boxing.com)