DAPUDONG ROLLS THE DICE
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 27 Jun 2011
It has happened before but it is quite rare. That is why we remember those who succeeded in spectacular fashion. I?m talking about ?last minute? invitations for a world title fight. The Bad Boy from Dadiangas, Rolando Navarrete, as a last minute fill-in, knocked out Cornelius Boza-Edwards in five rounds in Via Reggio, Italy for the WBC superfeatherweight title in 1981.
Lehlohonolo Ledwaba was supposed to make his title defense against Manny Pacquiao of Gen. Santos City as a launching pad for ring recognition in the United States. Ledwaba was scheduled to fight Enrique Sanchez, who sustained a cut during training and was forced to withdraw.
Almost twenty years after Navarrete rose to the occasion, Pacquiao agreed to take the fight on two weeks notice and won the IBF superbantamweight title, stopping Ledwaba in six brutal rounds. The rest as they say, is history.
Now, someone from the northern part of Cotabato got the call.
Edrin ?The Sting? Dapudong last fought on June 11 and beat Benja Loemoli of Indonesia by 4th round TKO. Less than ten days later came the breaking news that he would fight WBA flyweight champion Hernan ?Tyson? Marquez.
Looking at a few fans? comments, there are varying opinions about the wisdom of this venture. You can call it a gamble, a calculated risk or just plain recklessness. But a title shot is a title shot. There was a time when it was so hard to get one; especially when there was only one sanctioning body, especially during the time when Filipino boxers did not get that much publicity and/or respect.
Dapudong is soft spoken and has never been a source of clever quotables during press conferences. Sportswriters have to squeeze the words right out of him. But make no mistake, he can fight. Hardcore Cebu boxing fans still remember his scintillating battle with the popular Bert Batawang two years ago at the Cebu Coliseum.
He never maximized his time under the spotlight when he scored a major win in Mexico for the WBC Silver flyweight title. Former North Cotabato Gov. Manny Pi?ol was man enough to take the blame, attributed to errors in the training regimen, when his fighter lost.
When all is said and done, it will be Dapudong who will enter a Mexican ring for the third time. Boxers always risk their well being and career every time they step inside the ring. The stakes will be higher this July 2. That is why we remember the names of those who succeed.
(Top photo - Dapudong pummels Sofyan Effendi)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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