The Filipino Sailors Who Boxed for More Than Old Glory
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 27 Jul 2025
In the early 1900s, and into the years between the world wars, thousands of young Filipino men enlisted in the United States Navy. Many sought work. Others sought a way out. Most were assigned to steward and mess duties— cooking, cleaning, serving. It was quiet, repetitive work, often thankless, but they did it with discipline, honor and pride. In between duties, these sailors trained on deck and in makeshift rings below. They boxed under the stars and against the odds— no crowds, no contracts, and always with heart. By all accounts, they were the heart and soul of the American Armada.
One of the most respected was Cirilo Cacho, known in the ring as Young Dencio, a cook aboard the U.S.S. Mayflower; he served on the presidential yacht of President Warren G. Harding, who once called him “a great little fighter.” Dencio weighed barely 100 pounds and often fought much larger men. He beat Pedro Troncoso in Panama City to take the South American flyweight crown. Troncoso was the flyweight version of heavyweight Luis Ángel Firpo, who once fought Jack Dempsey. Dencio outpointed him cleanly. In a Navy boxing pool of over 86,000 men, Dencio won it all— taking the all-Navy flyweight title at Madison Square Garden. To do it, he had to beat the best from both coasts…Irish Ciriaco of the Atlantic Fleet, Tony Pozzi of the Pacific, and finally, fellow Filipino Jose Javier, the reigning American Navy champ.
Other Filipino fighters succeeded across the fleets. Flyweights like Jose Javier had won the flyweight crown in 1921, and Manuel Soriano had made the finals just a year earlier. Kid Alzona, of the USS Arctic, Kid Evaco and Tiny Bantita(?)— Filipino-Americans one and all fought for pride, honor and identity in a world that barely noticed them.
Alky Akol’s and his fellow sailors’ fights were underground, unrecorded, mostly unrewarded. But they earned something of significance— honor and respect. The ring gave them something much more than the ship did…a name…a voice…and a space where rank didn’t matter— only courage.
They were Disciples of the Sweet Science, cooks, deck hands, mechanics, coal heavers and boilermakers. They knew fire, grease, and long hours. After mess duty, they’d shadowbox alone and, at times, they’d step into a bout with nothing but a pair of gloves and a sense of purpose. Yes, they could use a frying pan, a hammer, or a shovel, but they also knew how to fight…and how they fought!
Notes of Acknowledgement, Sources and Recommended Readings:
• The Filipino in the Ring, By "DOC" DOUGHERTY, Coaching Staff, U. S. Naval Academy (The Ring, August 1924)
• OUR NAVY— STANDARD PUBLICATION— of the UNITED STATES NAVY (Anniversary Issue) Mid-May, 1923 (Public Domain)
• This article contains selected excerpts, quotations, images, and archival references used under the Fair Use provisions of Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act. These materials, from the collection of the Philippine Boxing Historical Society and brought to you by PhilBoxing.com, are presented for educational, scholarly, and cultural preservation purposes. Every effort has been made to properly attribute sources and limit use to what is necessary to honor the historical and cultural narrative.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Emmanuel Rivera, RRT.
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