Rebooting Philippine Pro Boxing
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 11 Oct 2022
Atty. Ermar Benitez.
Anytime soon, the Games and Amusement Board thru GAB officer in charge Atty Ermar U. Benitez and boxing division chief Jackie Lou C. Ornido will meet with local boxing players and stakeholders to discuss matters and issues related to the further development and upgrading of the professional fight sport in the country
This was disclosed by the two officials in their interview guesting via Zoom in the weekly radio boxing program, "Sport Lang" airing every Saturday 3 to 5 pm over Radio Pilipinas2 sports radio 918 kHz on am band and via Facebook Live with main hosts Romuel Alarcon and this writer.
The move is part of the continuing effort to revive and reboot the Philippine pro boxing industry under the new GAB leadership following the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic the past more than two years.
The move is also to look into and arrest the ongoing slide in Philippine boxing which is now without a single major world champion after a golden era precipitated by the exploits of Manny Pacquiao that saw the country having as many as five to six Filipino fighters holding simultaneously world boxing titles.
But what immediately prompted this action is the continuing losing record of Filipino fighters fighting abroad, principally in Japan where the losing percentage is pegged at nearly 90 percent as of the last count.
What is particularly alarming is the spectacle of Filipino fighters with winning or passable records in at least a dozen of bouts under their name losing to their Japanese foes toting just an average of three pro bouts and most of them losing by knockout or stoppage.
Losing abroad, including in Japan where ring officials in non- title or non-major bouts as here or elsewhere are entirely nationals, is nothing new. But the manner of the losses is a different matter.
The GAB has reportedly issued a Memo Circular effecting a moratorium on the sending of Filipino boxers to engage in so- called preliminary bouts, i.e. 4, 6 and 8 rounders specifically in Japan.
This could be in effect until a more thorough vetting and evaluation process and procedure could be put into place to preclude any case of mismatches
As a consolation, at least the GAB is acutely aware that the main problem is mismatching. We cannot simply rely on paper records or documents in evaluating the quality of prospective opponents abroad as much as the quality and suitability of local fighters to compete well against them.
But the issue does not just revolve around proper vetting. The problem with mismatches also is the product of the current laissez faire practice where GAB essentially becomes aware of an overseas bout by Filipino fighter only after negotiations and deals have already been made between the requesting host organizer from abroad and the Filipino fight promoter or manager. GAB gets to know because the Filipino party would then be seeking permission or authorisation from the agency as well as medical clearance and assistance in travel documentation.
It would be or have been different if the GAB is to assume a role as main clearing house also for all foreign or overseas fights requests and assignments involving Filipino fighters particularly those based locally.
But that may not sit well with local boxing promoters and managers who of course would want to retain their "finders keepers" privilege when it comes to overseas fights solely for their gyms and wards.
But then again, a middle ground has to be reached if we are to salvage and save the Philippine Brand of Boxing which the likes of Pancho Villa, Flash Elorde and Pacquiao had painstakingly built over the years and decades which is now in danger of being eroded by poor performances in recent times
Some concerned boxing aficionados have expressed views that either Filipino style of training and fighting has become too familiar with or now lagged behind other boxing nations.
Hence they are advocating for reforms in talent discovery and further upgrading and modernisation in the nurturing and development of Filipino professional boxers through the hiring of foreign consultants and trainers/coaches and overseas training for Pinoy boxers as have been done successfully for Philippine amateur boxing through ABAP.
But then again, we may no longer have to go through the extreme to accomplish this as the GAB is all for the offer of boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr to establish a boxing academy or school in the Philippines in tandem with another boxing great, ex Senator 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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