HARVEST TIME
By Manny Piñol
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 02 Jul 2007
Reynaldo Belandres.
For farmers like me, the greatest joy is when we start to pick the fruits of our labor and find these to be sweet.
For gamefowl breeders, happiness is seeing the roosters they bred win in the pits.
For teachers, fulfillment is seeing their students excel and make a name for themselves.
Saturday night, June 30, a few hours after my 9-year term as Governor of North Cotabato ended, I felt the joy of a farmer, the happiness of a breeder and the fulfifllment of a teacher as three of the young boxers I took under my wings under the province's grassroots boxing program in 1998 won World Boxing Organization (WBO) regional titles in three different categories.
Edren Dapudong, now 21, who joined the amateur boxing pool in 1998 as a 12-year-old kid scored a sensational third round knockout of Thailand's Sakmanee Sitkamnanchaleaw to win the WBO Asia Pacific Youth Minimumweight Title.
Glenn Gonzales, also 21, who joined the pool in 1999, impressed even WBO Asia Pacific Vice President Leon Panoncillo when he knocked out in stunning fashion Indonesia's Boydo Simanjuntak at 2:03 of the first round and winning the WBO Asian Pacific Youth Featherweight Interim Title.
Glenn Porras, also 21, who joined the pool when he was 14, scored a lopsided points victory over another Indonesian, Marangin Marbun, to win the WBO Asia Pacific Youth Bantamweight Interim Title.
The titles are not really that grand as they are merely regional titles. It would take some more time and some more fights before they could get a crack at the world titles. But their victories last night was enough reason for me to rejoice.
For me the spectacular victories of Edren Dapudong, Glenn Gonzales and Glenn Porras signalled the start of a bountiful harvest of what we planted nine years ago -- a serious grassroots boxing program that aimed to discover talents for both the amateur and the pro league.
It did not come easy. Shortly after I became Governor in 1998, I designated two of my brothers (there are 11 of us all boys) -- Noli and Socrates -- to handle the amateur boxing program. We were later assisted by the late Danilo Lerio Sr., father of Olympians Arlan and Danilo, Jr., and his son Bruce, who until today works as one of the trainers.
(Noli is now the chief trainer of the boys who decided to turn pro while Socrates is the registered promoters.)
We built portable rings and travelled all over the province holding boxing events for barefoot children. Winners received P100 ($2) and losers ($1). But more than the prices, winning meant having the chance of being selected to join the provincial training pool which assured them of free board and lodging in the provincial capitol and the opportunity to go to a public school in front of the capitol.
The process involved separating the chaff from the grain. Those who displayed potentials were given focus but those who could not cope up with the training regimen were sent home. It was sad to see young boys packing up their bags and going home but it was something we felt should be done.
The turning point in the program was when we were able to get known Cuban boxing trainer Honorato Espinosa. The maestro stayed with us for one year but did a lot to refine the boxing basics for both our trainers and young boxers.
Referee Bruce McTavish administers the 10-count on the flattened Boydo Simanjuntak of Indonesia as Glenn Gonzales (R) waits in a neutral corner.
Belandres (L) shows too much class against Isidro Balabat to notch a shutout victory after six rounds.
Sportsman and politician Manny Pi?ol speaks to the media the day before the fight.
Today, the current crop of trainers led by Bruce Lerio could be considered disciples of Senor Honorato who concentrated on going back to the basic rather than teaching fancy boxing.
The victories of the three young boxers, who incidentally all come from my hometown in M'lang, North Cotabato, signalled the start of the harvest season and basing on the performances of young boxers Saturday night it looks like there is a lot of harvesting to be done.
Saturday night, in his first professional fight, 17-year-old flyweight Ronnie Apelado showed too much class and power to dispose of a comparatively good fighter from Bukidnon, Jojo Corpuz, with a technical knockout in the 2nd round.
Another young fighter, 19-year-old Rommel Asenjo, scored his third knockout victory in as many fights when he stopped Noel Rosa in the 3rd round of their four-round miniflyweight bout. "The Little Assassin," as Asenjo is fondly called, knocked out his two previous opponents in the first round.
Bantamweight Larry Villanueva, tall at 5'6" and young at 19, scored his third knockout victory in as many fights when he caught Jeoffrey Maramara flush on the chin in the 1st round giving an early ending to their 4-round fight.
But the gem of the night that everybody talked about after the fight was 20-year-old Reynaldo Belandres, a college student, who showed too much class as he outpointed a veteran fighter from Bohol, Isidro Balabat, (11 wins, 3 losses and 4 KOs) in a six-round fight.
It was Belandres' third professional fight and the first to go beyond first round. It was also an opportunity for the young Belandres to display natural boxing skills as he taught the veteran Balabat a neat boxing lesson. He tagged Balabat with crispy jabs, showed excellent defensive skills and brilliant footwork winning all of the rounds in the scorecards of the judges.
Harvest time has just started. There's more to come. As of today, there are over 30 boys, some of them as young as 12, already starting to train as members of the provincial training pool.
Not all of them will make it but that is what planting is all about. Take the best seeds and sow them. Harvest will certainly be bountiful.
(Editor's Note: Manny Pinol's term as Governor of North Cotabato ended June 30 because of the law that prohibits Governors and other local officials from occupying their post for over nine years. He opted to run for Vice Governor trading places with Vice Governor Jesus Sacdalan who ran for Governor. Both of them won by landslide. Manny's three other brothers also won. Jun is the new congressman, Efren was reelected Mayor of Magpet town, while Joselito is the new Mayor of their hometown M'lang.)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Manny Piñol.
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