Pro boxer says he’s been getting threats after being accused of mauling Pinoy driver

Solmiano says he visited Central Police Station to clear his name

By Daisy CL Mandap

A Filipino professional boxer earlier reported as having mauled a compatriot during a brawl in Central says he’s been threatened by unknown men because of the “fake news.”

Jay Primo Solmiano claims he has been keeping a low profile since TV reports in the Philippines of the Jun 17 incident had accused him of using his superior might to beat up Filipino driver Ricky Lizo.

“Dahil doon napeligro buhay ko kasi madami naghahanting sa akin na mga Pinoy,” Solmiano said. “Pati asawa ko nabantaan dahil sa fake news na iyon.”

Ricky Lizo in hospital

Solmiano said a group of Filipino men even dropped by his place of work and hinted to the office receptionist that they were there to avenge the beating of Ricky and his brother, Denise Lizo.

The boxer insisted he merely tried to pacify the Lizos who had ganged up on his friend, muay thai instructor and Hong Kong resident Sebastian Chancell Wong. 

After news spread that he had gone into hiding after the brawl, Solmiano said he went to the Central police station to clear his name, but was told that there was no case lodged against him.

Instead, the police arrested Wong and the Lizos on a charge of fighting in a public place, and were allowed bail pending further investigations.

In addition, Wong, 38, was booked for assaulting a police officer.

He and Ricky, 50, and Denise, 47, both family drivers, were all taken to Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam after police were called in.

A statement from the Police Public Relations Bureau issued on Jun 20 stated:
”Police received a report on June 17 that several men were fighting at D’Aguilar Street in Central.  Police arrived at scene and arrested one local and two NEC (non-ethnic Chinese) males aged between 38 and 50. During the course of arrest, a local male assaulted a police officer leading to injury on his wrist.

The case is classified as “fighting in a public place” and “assaulting a police officer”.  All the arrested persons have been released on Police bail and required to report back in late July. The case is being investigated by the District Investigation Team 5 of Central District.”

Pictures of the Lizos and Wong, with their faces all bloodied and their eyes puffy from the beating, circulated on social media shortly after video footages taken during the actual fighting were posted online.

In several interviews, Ricky Lizo had claimed the trouble started when they told Wong off for slapping his Filipina companion at the corner of D’Aguilar and Stanley streets in Central.

Ricky said he hit Wong on the head with a beer bottle after the muay thai fighter took a swipe at his brother.

Wong had stitches on his head and mouth 

The elder Lizo claimed Solmiano had felled him with one punch when he saw his friend Wong being attacked.

But in a separate interview on Philippine TV, Wong denied hitting his woman companion, saying he was just pacifying her because she was drunk and was out of control. 

Wong said the Lizos had attacked him first, and Solmiano who had tried to pacify them at first, only came to his rescue after he was badly injured by the broken bottle.

Wong’s friends posted pictures of his stitched broken lip and head wounds to prove that he was himself badly wounded from the scuffle.

Wong and Denise Lizo were discharged from the hospital after two days, while Ricky had to stay for another day. Despite being allowed to go home, Ricky said he is due to return to the hospital early next month for surgery on his broken nose. He has also been told to rest for a few days before going back to work.