I LOST A ?SON? (PART I)
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 10 Feb 2008
MAASIN CITY, SOUTEHRN LEYTE - It was a bout considered by many here as conceded in favor of our local hometown boxing hero Alex Aroy. For during the first encounter with Arnel Tadena last Maasin fiesta vesper day on August 14, 2007, Alex was very much ahead on points in the three judges? scorecards when an accidental head butt cut Tadena?s head in the second round. Upon Dr. Teodulo K. Salas, Jr.?s advice, Tadena was declared unfit to continue and the bout was declared a technical draw.
Maasin boxing fans were dismayed not seeing the imminent knockout coming through. They want to see Alex sending Arnel kissing the canvass, but to their disappointment. Thus, a rematch was the order of the day. But the ?Maasin Bomber? was slated to fight WBC International minimumweight champion Zukisani Kwayiba where he was robbed of a victory in South Africa so the rematch did not materialize.
Again he was scheduled to face WBC international light-flyweight champion Phumzile Matyhila, also a South African like Kwayiba, but the fight was cancelled because the champ was three kilograms overweight. Thus, Alex?s string of bad luck continued to hound him and his handlers.
The much-awaited rematch with Tadena occurred on that forgettable Villaba, Leyte encounter. Already feeling weak because there were reports that he had a fever a few days before the fight and he did not have adequate practice for the bout, he lost by unanimous decision to the fighter who has prepared well for the rematch.
But with a warrior-like attitude that he had, he did not retreat from a challenge to prove who was the better fighter from among the two protagonists. Unfortunately though, the Divine Providence had favored to take away his life at a very early age of 23. He did not live long enough to get another crack at the WBC international title we longed for him to take.
Alex first trained as an amateur boxer under the Maasin City Sports Council, with this writer as the Chairman, and with the late Tiny Espina, then with Ramil Entia as trainers. He was later managed by Rex ?Wakee? Salud under trainer Anol Jaca. He was so proud being a Maasinhon that he used the alias ?Maasin Bomber? and ?Batang Maasin.?
The Maasin City Sports Council promoted his five fights against Rolando Baclayo, Noel Veronque twice, Dennis Juntillano, and the last one against Tadena. He did not lost in his hometown and he won the Philippine Boxing Federation light-flyweight title against Juntillano, becoming the first Maasin boxer to win a national title.
Once we were offered by Salud to host the WBC international title fight involving Alex, but we refused because the budget involves millions of pesos and the city government was not ready to spend such a hefty sum.
Top photo: Alex Aroy (L) with Maasin Mayor Maloney Samaco.
To be continued.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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