R.I.P. Dear Boxing Brother Gerald Bassig
By Carlos Costa
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 06 Dec 2024
PHILIPPINES — Sadly, our dear friend, boxing hermano, beloved younger brother and teammate Boxing Referee Gerald Bassig has passed away today, Friday, December 6, in Manila, Philippines.
He was only 40-years-old.
An unexpected massive heart attack took our brother from us.
The ones who knew him and loved him feel devastated and sad today. Can’t believe this.
Indeed, this heart failure has shocked all of us. Because Gerald seemed very healthy.
He was not obese at all. He practiced sports regularly, used to help young boxers in the gym, was never a drinker.
Not a smoker either, had no symptoms nor chest pains, was active in sports, spent much time with his wife and kid, had many friends, especially in our Filipino boxing community, was good friends with his boxing group APPBRO, lived a good, normal healthy happy life… yet this happened today, Friday.
Gerald was such a good person, good father and husband. And good friend.
Thru the years, I spent boxing time with Gerald Bassig. I worked with him in fights, He was a professional in his work as a boxing official, and a wonderful human being. In every way.
Knowing what has happened comes to my mind a day I spent time with our hermanos.
It was Last March in Bohol. Gerald and me rented a motorbike and rode around Tagbilaran in a hot, sunny beautiful blessed day.
That day, We visited Bohol’s National Museum of the Philippines. The museum entrance has a plaque that caught Gerald attention. He started reading the plaque, finding it interesting. While he was doing that, I took this photo of our hermano.
In that photo and the photos outside the Museum, he looked happy and he looked healthy and active. That’s how I want to remember him.
That same day in Bohol, we also visited Tagbilaran’s Saint Joseph the Worker Cathedral.
In that holy place, we admired the shrine’s blessed beauty, and we prayed.
And we rode a motorbike around Bohol a lot more. A bright hot awesome day in Bohol.
I drove the rented Honda Click while he was on my back as navigator in charge of the GPS Google Maps.
Funny, we took a wrong turn on a one-way street in Tagbilaran. there was no sign that it was a one way, and the GPS led us that way, so it was not really our fault. Carefully, we made a U-Turn and it was OK. Luckily, no Pulis saw us.
I can say that I had a good time riding and going to places with Gerald on that day.
Later on, we met our big hermano Greg Ortega for early dinner. With hermano Greg, we talked boxing and politics and ate fresh lamí Bohol Seafood!
Greg, Nowel, Gerald and Abainza were assigned for the evening's fights. I was not assigned. I was just with them, enjoying the good time and watching the fights.
How could we know that so soon we were about to lose Gerald?
Just last August, Gerald attended the WBA Asia convention in Vietnam. Our hermano Nowel Haduca was his roommate in Ho Chi Minh.
I visited Nowel and Gerald in their hotel room and talked and laughed, joking around and then we walked around, Gerald looking so healthy and strong.
Impossible to imagine that something with our hermano’s heart was not OK. 😢
About his work, Gerald was good in computers and IT in general, having a good job for the RCBC Bank, working for some IT Department of the bank.
However, his life's passion is boxing. Not too surprisingly, he resigned from his job at the bank, later on coaching and helping fighters in the gym, which he loved to do until the very end of his beautiful life.
Interestingly, Gerald fought in MMA in his younger years.
Not becoming a champion that I know, but he competed and loved taking part in combat sports.
Not long ago, in a leadership capacity, (not as an athlete) our hermano Gerald was a representative of the Philippines during the South East Asian Games in Cambodia.
AND just last October 2024, Gerald was the referee during a hard-fought 12-round WBF Light Heavyweight title fight in Bangkok, Thailand.
Gerald Bassig (R) poses with the author in Bohol.
Our hermano Gerald went the twelve chapters with the big boxers, doing a fantastic job, looking really good and gwapo, as you may see in this photo mosaic.
How could we know that so soon we were about to lose Gerald? And so young…
Life gives us some surprises, diba?
All the time.
That’s why we need to live each day of our lives with much love and much care for each other, for our families and our friends.
Gerald was a really sweet, good boy.
If you knew him, you’d know that.
May Gerald’s beautiful soul rest in peace in eternal life in Paradise with our Lord Jesus. 🙏🏼
He will never be forgotten.
One day, it will be our turn to depart. Our Hermano Gerald just left first, same as some of our loved ones who have already departed. Eventually, it will be our turn.
So, Let’s love each other more, embrace each other and live life to the fullest, love each other as our Lord Jesus taught us.
Rest in Peace dear hermano Gerald Bassig.
The author Carlos Costa of Cebu is a veteran boxing reporter who has served Filipino boxing for decades. Carlos can be reached at carlos@philboxing.com
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.
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