Philippines protests attack on boxer in Argentina

The Philippines filed a diplomatic protest to the Argentine government after a Filipino fighter was attacked in the ring by fans unhappy he had won a title bout.

John Riel Casimero and members of his team were kicked and assaulted when fans hurled chairs and stormed the ring following his 10th-round knockout of local fighter Luis Alberto Lazarte in the IBF junior flyweight championship in Mar Del Plata.

Philippine Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said Wednesday that his country's embassy filed a protest with Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is awaiting an explanation.

He says that after the riot, police escorted Casimero and his team to their hotel and provided protection for them. Lazarte later visited to personally apologize.

The Argentine ambassador to Manila was summoned to "express the great concern of the Philippine government about the riot and ask for explanation on the action taken by the Argentine government on the incident," Hernandez said.

Casimero was not seriously hurt and hid under the ring while the rioting fans were escorted out of the arena, said Aquil Tamano, commissioner of the Philippines' Games and Amusement Board.

He told ABS-CBN TV that he had also written to the Argentine boxing federation and IBF recommending that those responsible for the violence be held accountable. (nvn)