Spanish Publication Introduces Flash Elorde to Latino Audience
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 23 Mar 2021
Flash Elorde.
Add our late world boxing champion Gabriel 'Flash' Elorde to such historical figures as Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar and Juan Luna among great Filipinos the Hispanic world would not only become very familiar with but even recognize and acknowledge for their works and contributions.
This is because Spanish language publication Golden Era will be including him as among the century's best in sports, particularly in boxing alongside also Francisco Guilledo, better known as Pancho Villa, the first Filipino and Asian to become world pro boxing champion in the 1920s.
This was relayed by no less than one of the publication authors, David Sanz, in a text message to this writer and Madam Liza Elorde, as he thanked us for our cooperation in the completion of his research done through direct interview with surviving relatives, mainly Liza and her husband, Johnny Elorde, one of Da Flash's three sons with now also deceased wife, Laura.
Señor Sanz said the editorial board of the publication chose Elorde and Villa for they fought in an era where there were one recognized world champion for each of then boxing's few select divisions and they never hesitate to fight only the best, not for money but mainly for pride and honor of their country.
Both Villa and Elorde fought in the time of 15 round championship fights where official weigh-ins were held in the morning of the days of fight themselves. Aside from that, they had to contend with being away far from home most of the times and adjusting to different cultures and climates.
Liza, who this writer originally referred to Señor Sanz as main resource person for the interview, deemed it better and proper to let Johnny answer most of Señor Sanz's questions while providing information on the family's comportment every time Flash was into difficult major overseas assignments.
According to Liza, none of the family watched or tuned in over radio or television to Elorde's fights, preferring to stay together at home and pray fervently for his victory. That was true in Elorde's epic 1960 world junior lightweight title win over Harold Gomes of the US held at the Araneta Coliseum in the then country's capital Quezon City and his 1967 title loss to Yoshiaki Numata held in Tokyo, Japan.
Johnny for his part remembered that his father's world title conquest in 1960 was greeted by a fiesta-like celebration by Filipinos and his title loss in 1967 was mourned by many, including many mothers and women who have come to treat him like a beloved son or brother.
Such was the impact of Flash Elorde that I, at my tender age, saw my own mother and elder sisters sobbing that night with the announcement over the radio that Elorde has just lost the fight and his long held world title to Numata in Japan.
Johnny was Da Flash's only son who went to boxing, winning the gold in the 1979 Djakarta SEAGames before turning pro and later went into managing boxers and promoting fights. Like his father, he was also able to fight at the famous Madison Square Garden, representing the Philippines in the 1980 World Boxing Cup.
He said his father adjusting to foreign lands was aided by the fact that he was promoted by his own father in law, the late Lope Papa Sarreal who accompanied him in most of his overseas fights including his losing first world title fight in the US against the dirty fighting Sandy Saddler in 1957.
He said they vigorously protested the result of the fight--- a controversial late round stoppage on account of cuts win by Saddler--- leading to the banning for life of the erring referee who allowed Saddler to employ every dirty and foul tactic in the books to hold on to his world featherweight title.
He intimated that his father and grandfather waited for years to get another shot at a world title and when an opportunity came in 1960, they did not let it pass resulting to the fight between Elorde and Gomes in the then spanking new and now also iconic Araneta Coliseum.
Sarreal incidentally is one of the very few Filipinos and Asians for that matter enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the promoters category joining Elorde who was among the very first boxers to be inducted into the famous Canastota, New York recognition giving institution in boxing.
Elorde started prizefighting at the young age of 16 with a stoppage win over Kid Gonzaga in 1951. He proceeded to log 118 total bouts until his forced retirement in 1971, winning 89, 33 by KO against 27 losses and 2 draws.
He held the undisputed world junior lightweight crown for seven years and three months, making him the longest reigning world champion of the division. He was able to make ten successful title defenses during his long reign.
Ironically, Filipinos got hooked to western style boxing at the turn of the last century, already at the end of a long Spanish rule of the archipelago and the start of American colonization.
However, to Spain, and many of its former Spanish speaking colonies in the Americas, manly arts of fighting form part of the Hispanic culture and heritage.
That is why fighters from Spanish speaking former colonies as Mexico and Puerto Rico excel also in boxing especially in the modern times.
And that could be another reason Señor Sanz is featuring Elorde and Villa long after the sun has set on the once mighty Spanish Empire.
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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