Now, Back to Poor Luisito
By Manny Piñol
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 19 Jun 2011
I have made a promise to myself that I will not stop writing about the injustice done and inflicted on former world bantamweight and featherweight champion Luisito Espinosa until I see something moving or until somebody else takes up the cudgels and continue the fight.
As previously mentioned and already widely known, Espinosa, who I last heard was working in a casino in the Bay Area, defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight crown in Koronadal, South Cotabato on Dec. 6, 1997 against Argentinian Carlos Rios.
It was a boxing extravaganza hatched up by then Governor Hilario de Pedro III to highlight the progress of the province. The bouts included a defense of the Orient Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) flyweight crown of an upcoming boxing sensation, Manny Pacquiao.
The boxing promotion was a financial flop and Espinosa was not paid his $120,000 purse. Until today!
In two previous columns, I called on Manila Mayor Fred Lim, in whose city Luisito went to court to seek redress, to live up to his "Dirty Harry" nom de guerre and correct this injustice by talking to the judge who has been sitting on this case for the last 10 years.
I also called on Congressman Rufus Rodriguez, who earlier proposed a resolution in the Philippine Congress urging that the fight between Pacquiao and the bigger Oscar dela Hoya be stopped because the Filipino boxing icon could get seriously hurt, to show his real concern for Filipino boxers by initiating a House investigation and inquiry into the case.
No squeak from both men. Maybe because Luisito is not a good copy anymore. Nobody loves a loser.
Now, let me call on my friend, Senator Lito Lapid, and my other friend, the Honorable Congressman Manny Pacquiao.
Senator Lapid, an avid boxing fan, is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Games and Sports and I believe that if he so decides, a Senate inquiry in aid of legislation could be called to really look into what happened to Luisito Espinosa and institute reforms in the country's sports and gaming laws to prevent this incident from ever happening again.
Most of all, let me call on Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, who lately has agreed to become the poster boy for the Anti-Reproductive Health groups led by the country's Catholic bishops, the Anti-Divorce group and now the Filipino workers who are demanding a P125 across the board increase in their daily wages.
I am sure Manny knew and still remembers what happened. He was there that night. He defended his OPBF flyweight title in the undercard of the Espinosa-Rios fight, knocking out his Thai opponent in the first canto of a 12-round fight.
I can understand why Manny maintained his distance and silence on this issue for so long. One of the defendants in the case filed by Espinosa before the Manila Court was Rod Nazario, Pacquiao's former manager and wedding Godfather. Knowing how Manny values his personal relationships and respects people who have helped him in the past, it is easy to comprehend his decision to stay away from this controversy.
But Nazario passed away last year leaving only De Pedro and a few others as defendants in the case filed by Espinosa.
This should make things easier for Manny Pacquiao now.
Besides, if he could serve as poster boy of the Anti-RH, Anti-Divorce and Workers' Wage Hike causes, I see no reason why he could not stand up and fight for a fellow boxer whose only dream is to collect what is rightfully his.
The amount, in fact, is not even 5% of the cost of his new Forbes Park mansion and is even less than the amount he sometimes bet on his roosters.
Luisito is not asking for mercy or alms. He is asking that he be paid for the fight that prepared long and trained for.
More than anybody else, it is Manny Pacquiao who understands the pains and sacrifices involved in prizefighting.
Will Manny Pacquiao be Luisito Espinosa's poster boy and champion?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Manny Piñol.
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