ELORDE NO. 1 AMONG FILIPINO BOXING GREATS
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 20 May 2007
The late world junior lightweight champion Gabriel "Flash" Elorde has emerged No. 1 in a poll conducted among a select group of boxing writers and commentators by QTV Channel 11 for a special that was telecast at 6:00 p.m. last Saturday.
The survey also included the country’s top amateurs in the mix in which well-known TV boxing personalities and columnists including Ed Picson, Quinito Henson, Ed Tolentino and Chino Trinidad among others picked the top ten and explained their choices.
Surprisingly, Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao finished sixth in the survey topped by Elorde who reigned as world champion for almost seven-and-a-half years and was known for his decency both in and outside the ring. Elorde topped the poll with 65 votes ahead of the first Filipino world champion Pancho Villa who was enshrined, like Elorde, in the Hall of Fame. Villa who became world flyweight champion in 1923 was a close second with 63 votes.
Tokyo Olympic Games silver medallist Anthony Villanueva was third with 56 votes while former two-division world champion Luisito Espinosa got 48 votes for fourth spot followed by Atlanta Olympics silver medallist Onyok Velasco who received 43 votes to finish fifth.
Pacquiao who just suffered a setback in his bid to unseat incumbent congresswoman Darlene Antonino Custodio in the May 14 elections was sixth with 39 votes. Dodie Boy Penalosa who overcame the handicap of polio to become a two-division world champion was at No. 7 with 34 votes followed by former world flyweight champion Erbito Salavarria at No. 8 with 33 votes. The 9th spot was occupied by ex world junior lightweight champion Rolando Navarrette with 25 votes. Rounding off the top ten was former WBC super flyweight champion Gerry Penalosa with 19 votes.
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