Video circulates of S'pore national boxer bullying schoolmate, boxing federation says he's grown & took responsibility

UPDATE on Oct. 29 at 12:10am: This article has been updated with a statement from Junyuan Secondary School.

An old video of national boxer Abdul Wafi Idris was recently circulated on social media.

The video, which dates back to 2022, shows Abdul Wafi physically assaulting another boy.

Both were students at the time, at Junyuan Secondary School.

In response to the public outcry, the Singapore Boxing Federation (SBF) has spoken up in defence of the national athlete.

In an Oct. 28 statement, a spokesperson said that the boxer had taken responsibility for his actions and "has grown as an individual" since.

The video

The video was posted on Telegram group SG Shares.

In the clip, which appeared to be filmed in a school washroom, Abdul Wafi could be seen punching, kneeing, and dragging another student across the floor.

He accused the other student of "talking sh*t" about his crew, before forcing him to look at the camera and apologise.

The boy did so.

In an Oct. 28 post on Reddit, online users identified Abdul Wafi and noted that he is currently representing Singapore in the World Boxing Under 19 Championships in Colorado.

He had previously won a gold medal in the 2022 Sarawak Open Boxing Championship, according to The Straits Times.

SBF and Junyuan Secondary School respond

The SBF spokesperson noted that the incident in question took place in 2022, before Abdul Wafi joined the national boxing team.

While they were not involved in the disciplinary process, SBF said Abdul Wafi "took responsibility for his actions", and underwent counselling before reaching an amicable resolution with the other party.

The spokesperson added that Abdul Wafi has "demonstrated significant personal growth" since the incident.

"We assess athletes based on both their performance and conduct, and we are confident that Mr. Abdul Wafi has grown as an individual, channeling his energy productively through the sport," the spokesperson added.

"His development aligns with the values we promote, and we believe he is ready to represent Singapore responsibly on the international stage."

Abdul Wafi's Instagram page appears to have been taken down as of 8pm on Oct. 28.

Junyuan Secondary School said in a statement late on Oct. 28 that it is aware a video of the incident has been circulating online.

The school said it was alerted to the incident on the same day it happened, and that it “followed up with appropriate actions, including counselling, to help the student reflect and learn from the incident, to change and grow.”

Top photo via abdulwafiboxeo/Instagram and SG Shares/Telegram