MORALDE MOVES ON
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 29 May 2015
Featherweight prospect John Vincent Moralde (12-0,6KO's) is scheduled to fight in Spain on June 19 against Evgeny Smirnov (7-0,2KO's) of Russia for the latter's WBC Youth title. This will be Moralde's first fight since being involved in a ring tragedy in Australia last March.
Moralde's opponent, Brayd Smith, collapsed after losing the bout on points and died two days later. Both were unbeaten and Smith was smiling and posing for photos minutes after the end of their WBC ABC Continental title bout.
The 21 year old Moralde was already in the Philippines when he heard about what happened to Smith. In an interview with GMA TV, Moralde extended his apologies and condolences to the Smith family. He looked distraught and pensive when he talked about the nature of the sport, "Ganyan ang boxing, Pareho kaming naghirap, pareho kaming gustong manalo" (It was a very difficult fight for both of us, we both wanted to win.)
Boxing promoter and manager Jim Claude Manangquil told this writer that he hopes Moralde has fully recovered from tragedy. "Ok naman sya naka move on na sya. Nag rest sya mga one month and a half. Hopefully 100 percent naka recover na sya. Ingon nya ok na sya."
Smith was a 23-year-old law student who wanted to change the perception of boxing in his country. In an article posted on the website of the Courier Mail, Family spokesman James O?Shea said Smith was a ?champion human being? who never drank, never smoked, never did drugs or got into trouble.
He was a huge loss not just to his family but to the sport of boxing.
SAFETY CONCERNS
The tragic death of Smith reminded me of two professional boxers - Karlo Maquinto and Jog Alim ? who died due to injuries sustained inside the ring here in the Philippines three years ago. This led to a re-evaluation of the licensing requirements and mandatory rest period for Filipino boxers.
Death in the ring will always be a part of boxing. Even with the best medical facilities and strict screening procedures, the spectre of death will always be there.
Ring officials ? especially the referees and ring physicians- should always try to improve and do their best in ensuring the safety of the fighters.
Local boxing officials should make sure that boxers undergo complete medical examinations, adequate medical suspensions when suffering injuries or knockouts, educating and reminding fighters and trainers regarding serious signs and symptoms of a head injury. We should always make sure that the basic emergency medical equipment is available at ringside even in our small towns and cities.
We owe it to the boxers who are risking their lives inside the ring.
Going back to Moralde, he remains a fine prospect. I has a chance to see him in action a couple of years ago in Bantayan Island, Cebu where he stopped Rolando Navarette,Jr in four rounds.
He has been training hard for his fight in Spain according to manager Manangquil and has logged in a lot of rounds in sparring. We will have to wait and see how he will react and perform once the fight starts. Boxers who are involved in ring deaths will forever be linked. That is something Moralde will have to learn to live with.
Photo: John Vincent Moralde (R) with his manager Jim Claude Manangquil.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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