YEAREND RECAP: Reviewing the Philippine Boxing Scene (Part 2)
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 31 Dec 2010
It is that time of the year to look back. Local interest in the fight game has been unprecedented. There were a lot of fight cards being promoted all over our archipelago. I only got to visit seven islands, ten cities and five towns. A few bouts managed to stand out:
MEMORABLE FIGHTS
1. Milan ?Metodico? Melindo W UD 10 Anthony Villareal
(WBC Youth Intercontinental flyweight title, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, 1-14-10)
- everyone thought it was going to be short night after Villareal was dropped in the opening round but it turned into a thriller. The ?Baby Assassin? from California rallied by effectively boxing from a distance. Melindo landed the harder shots in the 8th and 9th but Villareal hurt him in the final round in a nail-biting finish. The scorecards read 97-93, 95-94, 96-93. ?
2. Merlito ?Tiger? Sabillo W UD 12 Jetli Purisima
(Philippine minimumweight title, Goldenfield Casino Filipino, Bacolod City, 8-1-10)
- The fighters went at it from the opening bell like hyenas fighting over a carcass. Defense became a mere afterthought and the mid-ring brutality tested their endurance and recuperative powers. The scores were 116-112, 116-112 and 117-112.
3. Milan ?Metodico? Melindo W UD 10 Carlos Tamara
(Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, 11-27-10)
- Melindo gave his best performance yet against the man who dethroned Brian Viloria ten months earlier. Tamara showed his usual toughness and was hanging around and still dangerous in the second half of the fight. But Melindo paced himself well and made sure there would be no repeat late heroics from the Colombian.
Carlos Tamara?s title win against Viloria deserves special mention. The country was at the losing end but real boxing fans love dramatic come from behind victories. During the post-fight press conference I asked Tamara's trainer Butch Sanchez how he motivated his fighter.
Sanchez answered, ? I told him 'Remember your two little daughters in Colombia. Dig down inside. Do you want to go home and hear your kids call you champion??
That line should be in a movie script.
MEMORABLE KO?s:
1. AJ ?Bazooka? Banal KO 5 Big Yoo (WBO As-Pac bantamweight title, Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex,Tagbilaran City , Bohol , 7-17-10)
- Yoo gave AJ and the 30,000 screaming fans a lot to worry about but Banal?s right to the temple followed by a left uppercut was a thing of beauty.
2.Michael Domingo KO 2 Luis Melendez (Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, 5-23-10)
- the fight had an emotional build-up and many fans didn?t like the quick ending. But Domingo?s left hook to the liver was a real Sunday punch.
3. Rocky Fuentes KO 2 Inthanon Sithchamuang (OPBF Flyweight title, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, 11-27-10)
- the road warrior returned to Cebu and threw a brain-scrambling left hook.
GERRY PE?ALOSA RETIRES:
Last October 10, 2010 Gerry Pe?alosa bid farewell to the sport of boxing after he scored a 4th round TKO win over Yodsaenkeng Kietmangmee of Thailand in a fight held at the Zamboanga City Coliseum. He said that this will be the last fight of his 21 year career and he would give the proceeds to Z ?The Dream? Gorres to help him with his continuing medical expenses. Gorres has undergone two operations on his upper airway since he was sidelined by a career-ending brain injury when he fought Colombian Luis Melendez in Las Vegas in November 2009.
Pe?alosa retired in style with his charitable gesture and received tributes from fans and sportswriters who appreciated his accomplishments.
AMATEUR BOXING:
The Philippines only had one boxing gold in the 2010 Asian Games courtesy of Rey Saludar in the Men?s 52 kg. category. He beat hometown boy Yong Chang 13-11. Annie Albania had to settle for a silver in the women's under-51 kg class, losing to reigning world champion Ren Cancan of China.
Light flyweight Alice Kate Appari won a bronze during the 2010 World Women?s Boxing Championships in Barbados. The Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) made strides in other International tournaments. They have made efforts to search for talent at the grassroots level. The national team had a training stint in the U.S. early this year. But they will have their work cut out for them in the next SEA Games against regional rival Thailand and during the qualifying tournaments for the 2012 Olympics.
NOTES:
Amateur bouts usually serve as curtain raisers in professional fight cards held in small cities and towns. I noticed in a few of those amateur contests that the boxers had no proper hand wraps, boxing shoes and two to three boxers would take turns using one pair of boxing shorts. Some had to use tape to prevent the oversized headgear from falling. What made the situation more tragic was that the boxers fought without being taught the proper basics.
I hope I saw the exception rather than the rule.
But the most distressing local sports story that I read was not in boxing but in watersports. The Inquirer ran a story last November 25 about our country?s national divers who "received very little support. They trained in frog-infested pools. Sometimes, there was even no pool to train in, the water having been drained and left empty."
Is this how we go about looking for the next sports heroes?
I have seen professional and amateur fight cards where they had to use makeshift metal pipes or cans for the ring bell and hit it with a carpenter's hammer. I do realize that we are a developing country and I do see street children eat from the trash bags coming out of the fast food joints every time I go to work But I am also aware which sport has been getting the most money from sponsors. And it is not boxing.
THE FUTURE:
Denver Cuello and Milan Melindo are nearing a world title shot. Both had impressive wins against former world champions. Cuello became the first boxer to stop former IBF mini-flyweight champ Muhamad Rachman from Indonesia last September with a one-sided 9th round TKO win in Iligan City.
Rodel Mayol and Brian Viloria are back in the win column and in the title hunt. OPBF titlists Rocky Fuentes and Malcolm Tu?acao are also world ranked. The likes of Mark Jason Melligen and Mercito Gesta will continue to make waves in the U.S. Teenage lightweight prospect Jason Pagara is due for tougher fights and a stint in the United States .
We look forward to the superfight between Nonito Donaire and Mexico ?s Fernando Montiel in February. Donnie Nietes is tipped to go past Luisito Espinosa and will be the second longest reigning Filipino champion ? after Flash Elorde ? next year. Drian Francisco?s future looks golden. Manny Pacquiao of course, will continue to be the vanguard of Philippine sports.
Philippine boxing has managed to keep its head above water. We can still do better. Our boxers (as well as our football Askals) have shown that we can accomplish great things even if we operate on a third world budget. It is not really the lack of money that is the problem in our country, it is the lack of a common goal and common sense.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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