Xiao Time: Where History Pulls No Punches
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 31 Jul 2025
(L-R) Luisito Espinosa and Xiao Chua (March 23, 2024)
History doesn’t always announce itself or arrive with fanfare. Sometimes, it just shows up like a cornerman between rounds- quiet, steady and right on time. That’s what Xiao Time means for many of us.
In a world crammed with too much information, Dr. Michael Charleston Briones Chua manages to cut through. He doesn’t just explain history. He makes it feel more interesting and relevant. One does not easily forget his teachings.
I first saw his videos and presentations during the early stretch of the 2020 lockdown. My family and I were on vacation in Mactan, Cebu when the world went kaput. In between bouts of boredom and sheer terror in the age of Covid-19, there was Doc Xiao on TV, online, wherever people were still trying to learn. One episode got under my skin, figuratively and in a good way. He spoke about old Filipino tattoos— not just ink, but stories on why it was a necessary tradition in Filipino culture. It was identity and bravery etched into skin, he said. After that, Pintados wasn’t just a word, it was a tradition my son placed on both his arms courtesy of Brian Bonbon of Inksider Tattoos in Lapu-Lapu City.
I watched Doc Xiao discuss the Battle of San Mateo, December 1899. Filipino troops under General Licerio Gerónimo held firm in a skirmish between the Yankees and Filipino holdouts. Major-General Henry Ware Lawton, one of the U.S. Army’s top men, didn’t make it out. Xiao told it like it mattered, it sure made an impact on me.
But here’s the part that isn’t usually told, not even in the best textbooks. After the smoke cleared, American troops searched the field and barracks. Among the scattered gear, they found something unexpected…a pair of boxing gloves. Worn, standard issue. It was a standard government issue, with a stamp that said Sol Levinson, the renowned glove maker from Market Street in San Francisco.
The odd detail came from Damon Runyon…yes, that Damon Runyon of Broadway and literary fame. He wrote that the gloves might’ve belonged to an African-American soldier from the 24th Infantry, a man who stuck around and quietly taught the locals how to box. No ring, no ropes, just movement…of fists and footwork. That could’ve been the moment western-style boxing first touched Filipino soil. (Source: Washington Herald, Oct. 10, 1925, p.19)
It’s a story people still whisper about, but rarely say out loud. Still, it belongs in the same room as the ones Doc Xiao keeps alive— truths that didn’t vanish, just waiting for someone to care. I’d love to bring it up with Doc Xiao, our fellow boxing fan, the next time we meet.
(L–R) One Aspiring Writer and Dr. Xiao Chua, Public Historian (March 23, 2024).
Beyond my wildest dreams and expectations, Doc Xiao accepted our invitation and we finally met in 2024, during the Gala of Champions at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel which was right across from where the Olympic Stadium once stood.
That day, we honored the legends of the ring, and Doc Xiao wasn’t just in attendance. He was one of us, a keeper of stories, standing quietly by the proverbial ringside. Before that, he spotted a small mistake in our Hall of Fame logo. The flag’s colors were reversed. Red over blue signals war. Blue over red means peace. He pointed it out gently…just a small nudge towards the truth.
He speaks about today’s boxing heroes, like Luisito Espinosa and Manny Pacquiao, with deep respect, not just for their brilliant accomplishments in the ring, but for what they represent.
Even now, whether he’s up on stage, on screen, online, or just standing there in the crowd— when Dr. Xiao Chua starts speaking, people pay attention. You can’t help it. He doesn’t just explain history. He makes it real, makes you feel and remember. He’s earned that kind of respect. But you probably knew that already.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Emmanuel Rivera, RRT.
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