GAB To Look Into Boxing Mismatches
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 27 Nov 2021
GAB chairman Abraham Mitra.
The growing popularity of boxing as recreational and entertainment fare on YouTube as spawned by the crossover success of the Paul brothers, Logan and Jake, in the USA has prompted the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) to come up and soon issue guidelines on the holding of boxing bouts in the Philippines particularly among aspiring or avidly interested YouTube boxers.
GAB Chairman Abraham Khalil Mitra in the Board's monthly virtual All Star Press Conference yesterday said the GAB will issue a guideline purposely to protect the wannabe YouTube boxers and the integrity of the fightsport.
Mitra said most of these wannabe fighters are not properly trained and just out to provide entertainment over the internet in exchange for money or media exposure. Whatever the case, Mitra explicitly stated that these social media cum instant fightsport practitioners need to be properly protected and bloggers staging such, properly guided.
While boxing as a form of physical fitness exercise is welcomed and accepted in many countries especially during this pandemic, boxing remains a very dangerous sport even in exhibition and especially in competition particularly if stage for "entertainment purposes" over the internet.
Mitra likewise asked GAB boxing division chief Jesucito Garcia to look into overseas mismatches as brought up by this writer during the open forum.
This writer noted the spate of mostly knockout losses suffered by Filipino fighters in the higher weight classes since a year ago where the former were pitted against naturally bigger and highly rated American fighters.
A case in point was Genesis Servania who for most of his career has been fighting at super bantamweight and the featherweight but is now fighting foes at lightweight abroad.
The inactivity caused by the pandemic may have also caused fighters like Servania to balloon in weight but that is not enough reason to say that they would be ready and competitive in the next higher weight classes.
Servania lasted less than one round against undefeated American prospect Andres Cortez, a natural lightweight who also recently stopped another blown up Filipino featherweight Mark Bernaldez in the USA.
Very recently, another Filipino blown up featherweight John Vincent Moralde hit the dust, losing by brutal technical knockout to another undefeated American lightweight prospect William Zepeda. Moralde was stopped two fights before at featherweight by Mexican Jose Vivas.
To this writer, it is important not only to look at the record and condition of our fighters but also the record and status of their foreign opponents to determine if the fights would be competitive, or would be a mismatch.
Mitra said while the GAB could not vet these bouts as many of these fighters are based abroad and their fights are held overseas, GAB will try to touch base with them and their handlers at least to remind them that whenever they fight, they are still Filipinos and carry the name and flag, the honor of their country.
The GAB under the stewardship of Mitra has been named once again as the Boxing Commission of the Year by the prestigious World Boxing Council.
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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