Phnom Penh: It took intervention from Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday night to declare a winner in the Khmer Boxing Federation championship. The title bout ended in mayhem, with Khim Bora being knocked unconscious by Men Mekha, in violation of the rules. A winner wasn’t going to be declared for two weeks, pending an investigation, but the Prime Minister wasn’t having any of it.

Saturday was the Khmer Boxing Federation’s biggest night in months – the championship final between Men Mekha and Khim Bora – at the CBS arena. Cambodians were on the edge of their seats on Saturday night, as was, clearly, Prime Minister Hun Sen and then came the drama.

In clear violation of the rules, Khim Bora was knocked out, but no-one could seem to agree on what to do. The match committee thought it best to postpone a decision for two weeks, a decision that did not go down well at all with the country’s biggest fan. The Prime Minister took to Facebook to lament the situation. “I cannot stand it”, he posted. “How can our boxing move forward or improve if our Boxing Federation allows the arbitrator to do this?" He pointed to football as an example, where a foul results in immediate action in the form of a red or yellow card.

Immediately after the Prime Minister’s post, the Khmer Boxing Federation, together with the broadcaster, decided to hand the belt and $5-thousand to Khim Bora. The boxer has now also taken to Facebook to express his thanks to the Prime Minister and his other fans.