'LITTLE ASSASSIN' PRAYS FOR BIG DREAMS TO COME TRUE
By Manny Piñol
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 29 Apr 2011
Mexico City, April 28 - Two days before the biggest fight of his young boxing career, Rommel Asenjo, 21, the poor farmer's son from the frontier town of Pigcawayan, North Cotabato, knelt before the altar of the miraculous Our Lady of Guadalupe and prayed to the Virgin Mother asking for blessings.
"I prayed that I be blessed to win this fight because I would like to buy my family a small rice farm which we could call our own," said Asenjo, whose parents are "partidarios" or tenants who work in big landowners' rice farms and only get a share of the produce from the farm.
Given the ring name "Little Assassin" by my younger brother, Socrates, because he stalks his opponents inside the ring and fells them with powerful punches for a respectable record of 16 knockouts in 20 wins with only two losses, both by decision, Asenjo is fighting the veteran Raul "Rayito" Garcia, 28, (29 wins, 17 KOs, 1 loss, 1 draw) of Mexico on Saturday, April 30 (May 1 in Manila) for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Miniflyweight Title. This is the division of the small fighters at 105 lbs. and the least lucrative because only about six boxing countries have boxers in this category.
In spite of that, winning the title means Asenjo will be assured of title fights which would pay no less than $40,000, already a fortune for farm boys from poor families who joined the grassroots boxing program which I started when I became governor of North Cotabato in 1998.
But behind the fearsome nom de guerre "Little Assassin" is a loving son who before leaving for Mexico City last Tuesday left a promise to his father that he will save his purse from his fight against Garcia to get a 2-hectare rice farm which is being offered to him for mortgage for P100,000.
Yesterday, as he knelt beside me before the altar of the Basilica, I realized the meaning and importance of this fight to this young fighter who was brought by his father to me to join the boxing program when he was only 10 years old and has stayed with me ever since.
He was so dedicated to boxing that when I brought in Cuban coach Honorato Espinosa, the veteran Olympic boxing trainer was so fascinated by Asenjo that he called him "Mi Chiquito." He is one of the few boxers I have known who seem to enjoy being inside the ring, like a fish in the water.
Top photo: Rommel Asenjo (L) and trainer Bruce Lerio pose at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
Asenjo prays inside the Basilica.
For Asenjo, the championship fight on Saturday is not just a boxing bout but a big opportunity for him to lift his family out of poverty.
"I offer this fight to my family," he told Mexican reporters during the press preview in downtown Mexico City yesterday where he had the opportunity to meet Rayito Garcia, one of the twins who will figure in a double boxing championships on Saturday.
Garcia appeared hardly bothered or intimidated by Asenjo as were his trainers who hardly even gave the Filipino challenger, who only stands 5' 2", an intrusive look to size him up.
They have reasons to be confident because the champion, who inherited the title vacated by Filipino titlist Donnie Niestes, is fighting in his own turf and has greater experience because of tougher fights in his career which included wins over Filipino Florante "Little Pacquiao" Condes and former world champion Omar Soto.
What they saw was just a small young boy in faded red shorts emblazoned with the words "Braveheart North Cotabato."
What they did not know was that Asenjo was keeping in his bag a new pair of red boxing shorts and a beautiful robe given to him as a gift by his Philippine promoter, Don Antonio Aldeguer.
What they also did not see was the heart of Rommel Asenjo where the dream and the desire of a better life for his and his family are burning intensely.
"They should wait until Saturday. I will make sure that I will always be in front of him," he said after he was told by Braveheart boxing coach Bruce Lerio that Garcia's trainers seemed unimpressed by his appearance.
Asenjo is not alone in his prayers for victory. The whole town of Pigcawayan, a battle-scarred town near the once rebel stronghold Camp Abubakar, is praying for his victory as well. Last Sunday, masses were offered to this poor farmer's son who could make history by becoming the first boxer from North Cotabato to win a world boxing title.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Manny Piñol.
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