Little Pancho: A Filipino Fighter in the Ring, an American Soldier to the End
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 17 Apr 2025
San Francisco Civic Auditorium – June 17, 1940
The air inside the auditorium was thick with tobacco smoke, anticipation, and something special. Filipino farmers, laborers, sailors, and immigrants leaned forward in their seats. Their eyes weren’t just on the ring.
They were locked in history. A Filipino would still be champion in the Bay that night. Two Filipinos. One world title. That much was certain.
Little Pancho in one corner. Across from him, Little Dado, the reigning World Flyweight Champion. This fifth fight of theirs was for the California version of the world crown. Pancho had already beaten Dado three times before.
The bell rang. Pancho came forward first, sharp and aggressive. His jabs snapped Dado’s head back. But Dado wasn’t easy to hit. He moved well, countered fast, threw bolo punches to keep Pancho guessing.
The crowd roared throughout the fight, and then booed the decision in the end. At ringside, Harry B. Smith of the SF Call-Bulletin scored it for Dado. The Examiner’s Eddie Muller gave it to Pancho. Referee Jack Downey called it a draw. As the last bell rang, they were still throwing punches.
Pancho wouldn’t take home the belt. Before that night, they called him the next Pancho Villa. A name like that? It wasn’t just given. It was a weight to carry.
Source: The Knockout, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1932.
His mother, Maria Villaruel Tingson, gave him gloves before she passed. His father Matio nearby. Not just any gloves. Pancho Villa’s. The same ones Villa wore when he won the world title against Jimmy Wilde.
M.H. Goldner put it best.
“Boxing gloves were wished on him. He had no choice. It was the parting request of a mother lying on her final sickbed that molded the career of Little Pancho.”
As she lay dying, she called her son over and placed the gloves in his hands.
“Go and take the title your brother could not defend,” so the story goes.
Not for revenge nor redemption, but to make his way in the world.
Source: THE KNOCKOUT, Vol. 5, SATURDAY, MAY 28, 1932
Onward and Upward
He left for Honolulu in 1932. His first U.S. fight was against Midget Wolgast, the reigning flyweight king. The judges gave it to Wolgast. The crowd protested. They fought again. This time? A draw.
Pancho kept moving. Honolulu. Los Angeles. San Francisco. Taking on the best.
February 21, 1934. Frankie Genaro. The same man who had beaten Pancho Villa twice. That night, Little Pancho did what his brother never could. He made Genaro quit. In the seventh round, Genaro couldn’t continue.
It was proof. He wasn’t in anyone’s shadow. He was his own fighter.
He won the American Flyweight Title, the same belt his brother once held. He fought for the CSAC Bantamweight Championship. He built a reputation as a fighter you couldn’t count out.
But fate had other plans.
• Pvt. Eulogio Villaruel Tingson
• Filipino. Boxer. Soldier. Warrior.
• United States Army
• Born January 17, 1912
• Died May 31, 1969 (age 57)
Little Pancho’s fight didn’t end in the ring. World War II came. He answered the call. Private, United States Army. No prize. No belt. Just survival. Just duty.
Eulogio Villaruel Tingson a boxer, a soldier, a fighter in every way. His name faded from the headlines. But for those who know, Little Pancho will never be forgotten. Because in the end, he wasn’t just fighting for himself.
He was fighting for us.
Fight Record and Career Highlights
• Career span: 1927-1942
• Total fights: 149
• Wins: 104
• Losses: 18
• Draws: 26
• Recorded 5-3-3 (1 KO) against former or current world titlists.
• Record outside the Philippines: 51-11-14-1 (13 KOs)
• Win: Frankie Genaro, Little Dado (three times), Star Frisco, Pablo Dano, Joe Tei Ken, Jackie Jericho and Small Montana.
• Loss: Midget Wolgast, Lou Salica, David Kui Kong Young, and Manuel Ortiz.
• Draws: Midget Wolgast and Little Dado (twice).
Sources, Recommended Readings and Acknowledgements:
• Top Photo of Little Pancho: The Knockout, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1932
• Little Pancho Carrying On, by M.H. Goldner (The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) • Tue, Jan 31, 1933, Page 26)
• Little Pancho Boxing Record: https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/47985
• Little Pancho Boxing Record: https://boxerlist.com/boxer/little-pancho/39624
• Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3759059/eulogio-v-tingson
• All photos and references in this article are properly attributed and comply with the U.S. Fair Use Doctrine
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Emmanuel Rivera, RRT.
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