Will Giemel Finally Make It For the Fighting Magramos?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 08 Feb 2020
Giemel Magramo.
Will Giemel Magramo finally make a breakthrough for a famous and revered Filipino boxing clan by winning a legitimate major world championship?
This poser has been raised following news that Giemel is firmly in the line to vie for the WBO world flyweight championship left vacant by Japan's Kosei Tanaka recently in a bid for an all Nippon setto with Kazuto Ioka for the WBO title at super flyweight class.
Giemel is the highest rated WBO contender at flyweight at number one followed respectively by Puerto Rican Angel Acosta and another Japanese Junto Nakatani, one of whom observers see as Giemel's possible opposite in a fight for the vacant title.
Most likely, the WBO would order a fight between the top two contenders, Giemel and Acosta to fill the vacancy with the winner facing Nakatani next. But to avoid suspicion of favoritism or conflict of interest, the Puerto Rico-based WBO could also order a Giemel versus Nakatani bout first, the winner facing Acosta in his first defense.
Any which way, Giemel is sure to fight to vie for the vacant WBO world flyweight crown, the only question left to be answered is where and how soon will the bout be held.
Once that is settled in due time, the next important question is: Will Giemel finally win a legit major world boxing title for the fighting Magramo clan, now in its third generation?
Indeed, will and can Giemel succeed where his illustrious grand uncle Ric never came close and uncle Ronnie Magramo just fell short of achieving in their respective storied careers in the 1960s and 1990s?
The original Endirikito "Ric" Magramo fought during a golden era in Philippine boxing in the late 50s through the 60s where winning the national championship especially in the lower weights was confirmation enough of one's readiness to take on the best of the rest of the world, indeed including the reigning world champion. The only other hurdle then was winning the Oriental regional title which would ensure a high world ranking.
Ric reigned as Philippine flyweight champion two times, first against Baby Lorona and last against fiercest rival, then future two time world champion Erbito Salavarria whom he engaged in four thrilling, close contests which they split. He also fought future world titlist Bernabe Villacampo three times, winning two and the dangerous Al Diaz whom he beat in two fights.
Attesting to the popularity and health of domestic boxing at the time, Magramo fought Lorona for the Philippine flyweight title in 1963 at the Araneta Colesium as companion main event to the bout between world rated featherweights Johnny Jamito and Hiroshi Kobayashi, another future Japanese world champion.
But Ric failed to win the Oriental title, losing twice and drawing once against then long reigning champion Tsuyoshi Nakamura in fights all held in Japan. That prevented his breaking into the highly exclusive world ranking.
Significantly, his chief rival Salavarria went on to eventually vie for and win the world flyweight championship after back to back victories over Magramo and Nakamura in the late 60s.
Even then, Ric Magramo still managed to stamp his world class quality as a fighter for aside from his seven contentious bouts against Salavarria and Villacampo, he also had the opportunity to exchange blows against future world titlists like Hiroyuki Ebihara, Walter McGowan and Bengkrerk Chartvanchai during his career that saw him in action in Japan, Thailand and as far as the UK.
After virtually helping prep up two fellow Filipinos, Salavarria and Villacampo to the world championship, Ric Magramo retired in May 1970 with a record of 35 wins, 15 by knockout, 17 losses, only two by knockout and two draws.
Ronnie Magramo, Ric's nephew and Giemel's uncle, was the most successful of the fighting clan thus far, going as far as winning the world minimumweight title of the fringe World Boxing Federation in 1995 after two earlier failed tries at the WBA and IBF titles.
Ronnie did not win the Philippine title, losing to archrival, Ala Villamor to whom he had also earlier lost to at the start of his career.
But that did not prevent Ronnie from fighting for the world title, losing to Thai champions Chana Parpoin and Ratanopol Sor Vorapin in 1993 and early 1994 in failed attempts at the WBA and IBF minimumweight crowns.
Ronnie finally hit paydirt in July 1994, stopping another Thai, Wanwin Charoen for the vacant WBF minimumweight championship held at a Crocodile Farm in provincial Thailand.
After two successful defenses, he would lose and then regain the same title versus yet another Thai fighter Fahsang Pongsawang in bouts held in Thailand and the Philippines in 1995. In their rubber match, again held in Thailand, Ronnie would lose the WBF title for keeps to the Thai fighter dropping a wide points decision in September 1996.
Ronnie would bounce back with seven straight wins between 1996 and 1998 that earned him a crack at the interim WBA minumumweight title against yet another Thai Kam Motma. But he would lose by narrow technical decision to Motma in Pattaya, Thailand in Jan 30, 1999 after which he decided to retire with a ledger of 35 wins, 22 by knockout against 10 losses. He was stopped only twice early in his career by Villamor and Pichit Sithbanprachan, another Thai who retired unbeaten as world champion.
Significantly, now a third generation Magramo, Giemel has not only the pedigree but the record and credentials to become world champion.
The only blemish in his record was a disputed technical decision loss to Korean based former Pakistani amateur standout Muhammad Wassem in 2016 in Seoul. Wassem is the same fighter against whom the formidable South African Moruti Mtalane struggled to regain his world title at flyweight two years ago.
Since that Wassem defeat, Giemel has came back mightily, winning all his last seven bouts via the short route, including over the highly regarded Weng Feng Ge of China and veteran internationalist Richard Claveras recently.
Let us pray that Giemel finally makes it for the fighting Magramo clan.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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