Remembering Mr. Elorde: Still the Gold Standard
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 25 Mar 2026
There are dates that live beyond the calendar—dates that settle into our archive of gratitude. March 25, 1935 is one of those days for anyone who remembers Gabriel “Flash” Elorde.
Now, we bow our heads for Mr. Elorde on his heavenly birthday—a moment to slow down, look back, and give thanks.
I’ve always believed boxing is more than a sport. It’s a passage—something handed from one generation to the next, fighter to fighter, fan to fan. And in that long line, there are figures who simply don’t fade.
Mr. Elorde is one of them.
My earliest memory of our dear champion started with my father, Hermie Rivera, who had a gift for opening doors—not just to places, but to people. One afternoon in Sucat, Parañaque, my dad told me I was about to meet someone important. I didn’t fully grasp what he meant at the time… now, I do.
From behind a swinging heavy bag he emerged. Not under ring lights, not in some grand arena—but in the steady rhythm of his gym.
And then, almost without announcement, there he was—Flash Elorde.
There was something about him—calm, watchful, grounded. His eyes didn’t just look at you… they read you. He could see the rhythm in a fighter before the fighter even knew it was there.
My father nudged me forward, and I still remember his words.
“Bai, meet my son…”
The Flash smiled—warm, sincere, encouraging. Then he moved…A stance. A shift…A short combination. He was about 10 years into his retirement, but he looked as if he still had it. It wasn’t just just his technique on display—it was timing, it was ring generalship.
Source: Weekly Sports Digest (May 18-24, 2001, Vol. IV, No. 20. Edited by Willie B. Caballes)
In those few minutes of instruction and demonstration, we were all star struck. My father and all of us in attendance were given something we couldn't fully grasp then but understand better now…it was a glimpse and a reminder of what boxing could actually be, scientific.
Years later, one hot day in March 27, 2024, when I stood at his resting place, it didn’t feel like an ending. It felt like going back to a special time during my formative years. That visit, as I wrote about once, was a pilgrimage of gratitude. For me, that afternoon in front of the grave of Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel and Laura Elorde remain in my heart…because he fought for something larger than himself—our people, our Filipino tradition. His style of fighting was both precise and deeply rooted in a self-defense form Guro Dan Inosanto collectively called Filipino Martial Arts— Kali, Arnis, Eskrima. And through all of it, he stayed humble, relevant and gracious enough to teach whoever showed up.
He will forever be the gold standard.
Photo:(L-R) Lope Sarreal, Sr. and Gabriel Elorde (San Francisco Examiner, NOV. 29, 1966, a gift from Al Corona).
The Elorde name keeps going—through his family, through the gym that bears his name, through his family Mr. and Mrs. Johnny and Liza Elorde, grandsons Bai and Mig and Nico and the generations that follow his example. He reminds me that real greatness isn’t only measured in victories or losses, but in what gets passed on.
Now, I fully understand what my father was actually doing that day I first met the man. My father wasn’t just introducing me to a great fighter. He was showing me a great example. And that that lesson has stayed—in every short story I’ve tried to tell, every effort to hold onto the history of our fighters, every step taken to honor the ones who came before us.
https://youtube.com/shorts/nclS1lrnMZc?si=9bbA9Fo-wcU94la5 (video)
So today, March 25, 2026, on his heavenly birthday, we remember him with reverence and fond reminiscence.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mr. Elorde.
Your legacy still keeps on punching.
Sources and Acknowledgements:
• Top Photo of Gabriel Elorde is courtesy of the San Francisco History Center through the kind assistance of Christina Moretta (Photo Curator, Acting Manager) and Lisa Palella (Library Technical Assistant II) at the San Francisco History Center, SFPL
• 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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