Who's Next? That Is The Question
By Mark F. Villanueva
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 10 Mar 2016
Cebu City - Gathered at ringside the VP of Omega Pro Sports International Mr. Chad Canares spoke to us with utmost gratitude for the support, of its sponsors, and how they have barely slept days prior to the event. Earlier that day, looking out from the top storey of the Robinsons Galleria the industrial landscape of Cebu rose, and I asked myself a progressive question, born and living in the Boxing capital of the country, "Who's Next?"
At the ground level, as if in the very root of that inquiry, people swarmed around as ants do around something sweet, circling it. A concerted inquiry was starting to be initiated as Vergilio Silvano painstakingly edged further against Fernando Ocon with a fighting style that reminds me of a younger Donnie Nietes. Like all boxers who prefer to outwork their opponent Silvano was very subtle with his adjustments with no unnecessary movements to conserve his energy and boost his punch output. He preferred to stay within striking range, inciting, double jabs, commits to a patterned offensive and steps back almost always to leave behind a hook that kept derailing Ocon just as when he was about to start. That way he always left a strong impression on the judges each time from start to finish. It was the most competitive bout of the day but the results were unsurprising, as with the rest of the undercards and the main event.
Jhack Tepora's technical mastery pounces Jason Tinampay's courage all day. With a professional record of 17-0 all I could wonder about was Tepora's amateur career that evidently worked to his advantage, albeit being hit flush in the face in the third round by Tinampay that stirred the crowd and a roar followed. Tinampay's courage soon faltered as he started to stay away and settled to limited counterpunching. He seldom jabbed and when he did he did it lazily. Tepora stalked him, skillfully cut the ring, and at one point lunged with a rare lead uppercut ala Erick Morales, and that left a lasting impression of him on my mind. Tinampay crouched from a body shot in the fifth and refused to stand up to the crowd's utter disappointment. But it was noteworthy that the crowd had stuck to the end. The event was entertaining enough to hold it, and Omega's efforts paid off. Dr. Bonsubre, who had just arrived from Shanghai, and I personally went to Mr. Canares to congratulate him for the success of the first of six events for the year. Sponsors such as Harley Davidson, Hyundai, and Y101 were not amiss for supporting to settle the question on "Who's Next?" to Boxing superstardom, and we hope the competition grows stiffer as we search for the answer.
Photo (L-R): Omega Pro-Sports president Pio Paulo Castillo, WBO vice-president for Asia-Pacific Leon Panoncillo Jr, ring girl, Jack Tepora, ring girl, Omega Pro-Sports vice-president Chad Canares and Hyundai executive Kenneth Tan.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Mark F. Villanueva.
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