The Japan Amateur Boxing Federation (JABF) has rejected a request for a hearing at the Japanese court of arbitration (JSAA) lodged by a high school boxer over the JABF's revoking of his amateur license, JSAA sources said Saturday.
The JABF revoked the 15-year-old's license due to his previous experience of dabbling in exhibition matches promoted by a pro boxing gym.
According to the sources, the JABF conveyed to the JSAA its intention not to accept any arbitration by the JSAA regarding the request to reinstate the license of Futa Nakagishi, a first-year student at Kanazawa municipal high school, saying JSAA officials are not necessarily familiar with amateur rules.
Arbitration by the JSAA regarding complaints from athletes, including suspensions over suspected doping, does not take place unless both sides agree to it.
Nakagishi was disqualified from participating in the recent national high school championships on the ground that he took part in sparring sessions and his name was included in the pamphlets or on the tickets of professional fights promoted by Kanazawa's Kashimi Gym several years ago.
The JABF slapped a one-year suspension on Nakagishi as an amateur boxer late this May despite the fact that he had won the Ishikawa prefectural championship earlier that month.
Nakagishi and his parents argued he took part in the sparring sessions before he acquired the amateur license, while the JABF said the matter is not an appropriate one for arbitration, citing the JSAA officials' alleged lack of familiarity with the amateur rules concerned.
Yoshiaki Nakagishi, Futa's father, said, "The refusal is tantamount to their admitting to have committed a mistake (in revoking the license)."