BYE, RONNIE
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 12 Nov 2016
Ronnie Nathanielsz passed away just this morning and the sporting world, particularly boxing, would surely miss him. Already considered a legend in sports journalism, he died while on the call of duty as he was about to cover the Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas fight in Las Vegas.
He succumbed to heart attack in California and joined our Creator at age 81. Many reporters and mediamen would have retired at this age. But not for Ronnie as he spent life full of passion for sports to the last minute.
Philboxing.com has benefited much from the works of Ronnie. He was the biggest contributor to this famous Philippine boxing website with 6,492 articles to his name.
His first article in June 20, 2006 was entitled "ROACH: PACQUIAO WILL GO AFTER LARIOS RIGHT AWAY As Team Pacquiao Arrives in Manila" and his last article "ARUM PREDICTS PACQUIAO-VARGAS WILL END IN A KNOCKOUT BUT HE DOESN?T KNOW WHO WILL FALL" was written on November 3, 2016.
He averaged more than one sports article a day in more than ten years of writing in PhilBoxing and sometimes contributing 3 to 4 stories a day. And to think that in this website writers contribute pro bono just for the love of sports especially boxing.
Pinoy Pride series always had Ronnie broadcasting and commenting at ringside sometimes with Dyan Catillejo or Atty. Ed Tolentino. He was there at Blow by Blow when Senator Manny Pacquiao was a budding pro fighter.
He also wrote sports columns at the Manila Standard and Philippine Daily Inquirer. He was also a contributor to the internationally famous website BoxingScene.com.
A Sri Lankan-born but naturalized Filipino, Ronnie became famous for his detailed coverage of The Thrilla in Manila. As he always kept rare photos and files and even films of great boxers and legendary fights from Flash Elorde to Manny Pacquiao.
He was also a familiar fixture in the coverage of the games of the Philippine Basketball Association in its early years especially the Robert Jaworski-Mon Fernandez era. Basketball was his second love to boxing.
Bye, Ronnie and rest in peace. Sportscasting and sportswriting will never be the same.
Photo shows the writer with the late Ronnie Nathanielsz in one of the Pinoy Pride series in Cebu.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
OLYMPIC BOXING 6: 1932 OLYMPICS AT LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 08 Dec 2025MONTE-CARLO SHOWDOWN VI FIGHT NIGHT RESULTS AS MASOUD BEATS McGRAIL
Sun, 07 Dec 2025Pitbull Cruz and Lamont Roach Battle to Controversial Majority Draw in High-Intensity Title Clash
Sun, 07 Dec 2025Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts and Ju-jitsu in Thailand SEA Games
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 06 Dec 2025Mapua, IIEE Singapore and IM Concio wins the 7th IIEE ANC Cup co-awarded by GM Torre
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 06 Dec 2025Pontinos to see action in PH Jetski in SEA Games
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 06 Dec 2025Pitbull vs. Roach Jr & Co-Headliner Foster vs. Fulton Make for Solid PPV
By Chris Carlson, Sat, 06 Dec 2025Weights from Philadelphia
Sat, 06 Dec 2025MONTE-CARLO SHOWDOWN VI WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER CONFIRMED WITH MASOUD AND McGRAIL SET TO BATTLE
Sat, 06 Dec 2025Herlan Gomez, Jason Moloney Make Weight for WBC Australasia Bantamweight Battle in Australia
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 05 Dec 2025OLYMPIC BOXING 5: 1928 OLYMPICS AT AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
By Maloney L. Samaco, Fri, 05 Dec 2025MONTE-CARLO SHOWDOWN VI PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Fri, 05 Dec 2025Class of 2026 Announced in Canastota
Fri, 05 Dec 2025Thailand’s Niyomtrong “Knockout CPF” Decisions Junior Zárate, Becomes World Champion Again
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 05 Dec 2025WORLD RANKED FILIPINO BOXERS AS OF DECEMBER 2025 BY THE RING, WBC, WBA, IBF, AND WBO
By Maloney L. Samaco, Fri, 05 Dec 2025