AUG.1: 106th BIRTHDAY OF ASIA’S FIRST WORLD BOXING CHAMP
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 01 Aug 2007
HOW WOULD HE FARE VS TODAY’S FLYWEIGHTS?
ILOILO CITY – Had he lived today, would Francisco Guilledo, popularly known as “Pancho Villa”, stand a china man’s chance against the best flyweights in the world?
How would he perform if ranged against the brass-talking former IBF champion Vic “The Bull” Darchinyan who was tore to pieces by another Visayan Fil-Am Nonito “The Flash” Donaire in five rounds recently?
Given the same opportunity to fight Darchinyan today, would Villa, famous for his semi-bolo punch, pulverize the ribcracker from Australia with a single punch?
Better still, would boxing authorities today allow Villa to fight as a flyweight when he stood only 5 feet and one inch? Or would he be permitted only to fight as mini-flyweight which was still a misnomer at that time?
These are some of the common question asked by fans and townmates in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental of the great ring immortal as the Ilonggo community here celebrates his 106th birthday, August 1.
Born August 1, 1901 in Sitio Ilog, Kabankalan, Guilledo won the world flyweight crown on June 18, 1921 with a seventh round knockout win over defending champion, Welshman Jimmy Wilde at the Polo Grounds in New York.
He died ten days due to tooth infection after losing a non-title duel versus welterweight champion Jimmy McLarnin on July 4, 1923.
Villa was a former stevedore at the Muelly Loney port here. He was married to Gliceria Concepcion.
Boxing patron Frank Atas, Jr. said Villa’s “only son” once managed a small boxing gym somewhere in Jaro district here.
“He resembled his father and he also loved boxing only that the press did not recognize him then,” said Atas whose father also once owned a boxing gym.
Historian Gerlie Mini Uy, a Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) lawyer in La Carlota City, Kabankalan’s neighboring city, said Villa is still extremely popular in Negros Occidental.
“Every time people in Negros talked about boxing, they would always mention Pancho Villa’s ring exploits and heroism,” said Uy, whose neighbors are relatives of another former world champion Benjamin Gan also known as “Small Montana.”
Villa was touted as “the greatest flyweight of the century” by the Associated Press. Standing only 5 feet and one inch, Villa was also the first world champion from Asia. He was one of only four Asians enshrined into the New York-based International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994. He was also inducted to the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
He began his boxing career in 1919 and adopted the name Pancho Villa after a famous Mexican revolutionary. After his successful bids in the Philippines, he went to New York in pursuit of international bouts.
Among his most memorable fights were his losses to former Olympic champion Frankie Genaro who beat him on points two times in as many confrontations. They were penciled to meet for the third time but his untimely death dashed that dream match to pieces.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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