Rolando Gabriel Dy-Navarette: The son also fights
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 18 May 2013
Gabriel Dy-Navarette.
Tonight?s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City will feature a familiar name in Philippine boxing.
Offered by one of the country?s leading MMA promotional company, Pacific X-treme Combat, the eight bout card includes twenty year old Rolando Gabriel Dy-Navarette.
Dy-Navarette is son of Philippine boxing champion and legend, Rolando ?The Bad Boy from Dadiangas? Navarette.
Dy-Navarette who holds an even record of 2 wins against 2 defeats will be squaring against fellow featherweight and countryman, Arex Montalban (2-0-0).
The young fighter wanted to pursue his father?s sport at first but was prohibited by his mom, Jeniffer Dy-Subastil. And while studying in Davao, Gabriel discovered Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJ-J) and fell in love with the discipline.
?I love combat sports eh. Tapos nung umuwi ako Cavite dun ko naman nakilala ang Muay-Thai kay Master Biagtan at sunod wrestling naman,? said Dy-Navarette.
(I love combat sports. And when I came back to Cavite, I discovered Muay-Thai under Master Biagtan and then wrestling afterwards.)
His mom may not approve of his chosen career but his champion-father has no objections about it.
?Nakita daw nya ako sa TV, yung first fight ko sa PXC. Pero natalo ako nun eh, kasi medyo mahina pa ang ground game ko nun.?
(He told me he saw me fight on TV, my first fight with PXC. But I lost that one, my ground game isn?t that good yet.)
Gabriel said that two of his brothers with his father are aspiring boxers like Navarette, Moks and Junrex.
?Pro na ung isa, si Junrex, pero bata pa. atsaka si Moks amateur pa,? informed Gabriel.
(Junrex is now a pro but he is still young while Moks is still an amateur.)
?Gusto niya (Navarette Sr.) talaga na may sumunod sa yapak niya,? added Gabriel.
(He really wanted one of us to follow his footsteps.)
Dy-Navarette may not be following his father?s footsteps as a practitioner of the Sweet Science but he is following his passion in another combat sports, which is Mixed Martial Arts.
?Dati po boxing talaga gusto ko, pero nung nakilala ko ang MMA mas nagustuhan ko ito. Hindi ko alam kung bakit,? said Dy- Navarette.
(I was into boxing before but when I discovered MMA, I liked it more. I don?t know why.)
?I love it,? referring to MMA, ?I don?t do this for money. I do this because I love this. It?s my passion.?
Tonight?s PXC 37 airs live on AKTV.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com and on Twitter @Freemazon910.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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