Asian Boxing Realities Post Pacquiao Part One: Can PH and Japan Continue to Lead Asia in Pro Boxing?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 10 Nov 2021
Asian bantam kings (L-R) Donaire, Casimero and Inoue.
From the beginning, it is said that big time professional boxing in the USA is basically a war between and among Caucasians and Blacks, mainly American and Hispanic prizefighters including those of varying European and African stocks, at sunder times even heavily insinuating racial superiority in the physical sport.
Until an Oriental, a Filipino named Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao more famously known as Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao came along and effectively broke this historical chain or traditional trend in Stateside boxing.
For nearly two decades, Manny Pacquiao made his impact and almost ubiquitous influence felt even in weight classes usually dominated by American and Hispanic fighters of various colors and racial roots, i.e. the featherweight up.
On the way to establishing a record eight world boxing championships in as many weight classes, Manny has stamped his mark in the featherweights, lightweights and the welterweights to include the junior and super classes, divisions where only the likes of Duran, Chavez, Arguello, Pryor, Whitaker and Leonard once reigned Supreme.
But now, Pacquiao has retired from the sport after nearly thirty years of prizefighting.
It appears that things will go back to where they are originally in weight classes above 118 lbs., the bantamweight which traditionally has been the upper apex for Asian fighters with the exception of those from Japan, South Korea and China and the new emerging boxing regional power, Uzbekistan.
That seems to be what we may call part of Post Pacquiao Boxing Realities particularly for Asian boxing countries as the Philippines and Thailand, even Japan.
Japan still has WBA Middleweight champion Ryota Murata apart from having the most number of reigning Japanese world boxing champions, mostly at lower classes as light flyweight (Hiroto Kyugochi and Masamachi Yabuki), flyweight (Junto Nakatani), super flyweight (Kazuto Ioka) and bantamweight (Naoya Inoue). But this may not last as Murata is fighting the formidable Gennady Golovkin next.
The Philippines currently has five world boxing titleholders namely bantams Nonito Donaire and Johnriel Casimero, super flyweight Jerwin Ancajas and minimumweights Vic Saludar and Rene Cuarto. And about two dozens world rated contenders but most of them are in the weight classes from minimumweights (105 lbs) to the super bantamweights (122lbs). Only two Filipinos could be found in the world ratings above 122 lbs namely Mark Magsayo at featherweight (126 lbs) and Joe Noynay at super featherweight (130 lbs).
Thailand has two world champions, both at minimumweight namely Knockout CP Freshmart and Panya Pradabsri. It has a few world rated contenders including ex titlists Wanheng Menayothin and Srisaket Sor Rungvusai but none above 118 lbs.
That situation will most likely continue in the coming years (unless Murata beats Golovkin and Eumir Felix Marcial live up to his potentials in the pros at the middleweight division which both are improbable).
Filipino fighters particularly are encountering difficulties just for contention even at 122 up to 130 lbs classes as American and Hispanic fighters in those divisions are proving to be better and more formidable.
Super featherweight Mark Bernaldez was only our latest casualty, losing recently by TKO to American Andres Cortes. Earlier Genesis Servania, our former world featherweight title challenger lost by 1st round knockout to the same Cortes and FilAm prospect John Leo Dato dropped to his first career defeat to Angel Contreras.
It was a litany of defeats at 122 to 130 lbs since years back with Martin Elorde and Jeo Santisima failing in their WBO title bids versus Emanuel Navarette, both by TKO, Servania also losing to Carlos Castro, Jack Tepora blowing his WBA interim world featherweight title and later being kayoed by Oscar Escandon, Neil Tabanao and Mark John Yap going down in defeats to Angelo Leo and John Moralde losing to Xavier Martinez.
Hopefully, Mark Magsayo will make the best of his current mandatory challenger status at featherweight with the WBC and ex WBO bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales do well in his second world title bid though just for the WBO interim strap at super bantamweight versus Japanese Hiroaki Teshigawara. In his first attempt, Tapales was stopped by former titlist Kenji Iwasa.
Otherwise, we will have to content ourselves with our fighters performance at 118 lbs and below with Casimero and Ancajas defending their world titles versus foreign foes, Donaire and Reymart Gaballo meeting in yet another All-Filipino world title scrap and returning legend Donnie Nietes continuing his quest for another world title at 115 lbs.
Hopefully again, some of these will bring our top Pinoy fighters back to the limelight in the lucrative US ring though not as glowingly as in the heydays of Manny Pacquiao.
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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