KONI Central Chairman Visits Boxing Legend Ellyas Pical who was Treated for Heart Disease
JAKARTA - The Chairman of the National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) Pusat, Lieutenant General TNI Purn. Marciano Norman, visited one of the staff of KONI Pusat who is also legendary boxer Ellyas Pical, on March 3, 2026 in Kunciran, South Tangerang.
"We visited Mr. Ellyas here hoping that his condition would improve," said the Head of KONI Central.
Last year, Ellyas Pical was rushed to Harapan Kita Hospital due to heart disease.
"To the people of Indonesia, I ask for prayers that the legend of our pride in boxing, Mr. Ellyas Pical, is getting better and can return to carrying out daily activities," said Marciano.
In addition, the Head of KONI Central ensured support for the health of Ellyas Pical, starting from all KONI Central health facilities to BPJS.
The ranks of the Central KONI Ketum who accompanied, among others, the Deputy Secretary General I, Major General TNI Purn. Dr. Suwarno, Deputy Secretary General II, Major General TNI Soedarmo, Head of Sports Health, Marsma TNI Purn. Rochmulyati, Head of Media and Public Relations, Tirto Prima Putra, and Martinez dos Santos.
Also present was legendary boxer La Paene Masara who is close to Ellyas.
Ellyas Pical's Profile
Ellyas Pical was born in Saparua District, Saparua City, Maluku, on March 24, 1957. In his childhood, he was a catfish fisherman.
His interest in boxing started from a match that was often broadcast on TVRI. Muhammad Ali became one of the idols that Ellyas often watched when he was a child.
Inspired by Ali, he finally started boxing at the age of 13 without the knowledge of his parents because Ellyas was banned from boxing.
While active as an athlete, Ellyas Pical was known for his accurate, fast and hard left hook and uppercut. These abilities earned Ellyas the nickname The Exocet - a French-made missile used by the British in the Malvinas War.
Ellyas Pical's journey
Starting his boxing career from the district level to the international level. Professional career in the junior bantamweight class began in 1983. Ellyas Pical won the Orient and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) after defeating Hi-yung Chung from South Korea with a 12-round win in Seoul on May 19, 1984. (junior bantamweight/super flyweight class). Ellyas won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) after knocking out boxer Chun Ju-do. He defeated the South Korean boxer in Jakarta on May 3, 1985 when he was 25 years old. In fact, Chun Ju-Do had humiliated Ellyas by saying that he was a "chicken" and that he would never win a title. He was able to defend the title from South Korean boxer, Dong-chun Lee. The defeat came to Ellyas. He lost a KO in the 14th round to Thai boxer, Khaosai Galaxy, in 1987. With great enthusiasm, Ellyas finally managed to regain the IBF title (junior bantamweight/super flyweight class) from Tae-il Chang (South Korea) on October 17, 1987. The title was successfully defended for two years. Finally, Ellyas had to lose the title again because he lost to Colombian boxer, Juan Polo Perez, on October 14, 1989 in Virginia, USA.