Anti-Kosovo song in Tirana, Kosovo Professional Boxing Federation reacts

The Serbian boxer Stefan Mariq’s entrance into the ring to an anti-Kosovo song has been deemed unacceptable by the Kosovo Professional Boxing Federation.

Mariq, who is a very low-level boxer, entered the ring on Sunday in Tirana to a song that calls Kosovo Serbian land. He fought Ahmed Koci, but lost by knockout in the second round.

The entrance into the ring to the song offensive to Kosovo passed without any reaction at the professional boxing event, at which numerous bouts were held.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the Kosovo Professional Boxing Federation issued an official response. According to the federation, such lapses should not be tolerated in the future.

“The Kosovo Professional Boxing Federation has received with concern the information that, at the professional boxing event held on Sunday in Tirana, a Serbian boxer was allowed to enter the ring to an anti-Kosovo song. We express our deep indignation at this incident and call on the Albanian Boxing Union, as supervisor of professional boxing events in Albania, to take measures against the organizer and to exercise greater care in the future. We also ask it to warn organizers that such an incident must not be repeated. Cooperation between our federations has always been very good, and we recall that we helped the ABU on its path toward membership in the European federation EBU. We hope that such unpleasant incidents will never happen again,” reads the statement from the Kosovo Professional Boxing Federation.