Boxing Week-end: BRITISH PROMOTER DENNIS HOBSON EYES 5?10? TALL FILIPINO BOXER
By Manny Piñol
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 02 Feb 2014
Englishman Dennis Hobson, one of Great Britain?s biggest boxing promoters who once promoted world champion Ricky Hatton, has expressed great interest in handling the career of 19-year-old undefeated lightweight Roskie Cristobal of North Cotabato.
Hobson, who now promotes the new IBF World Bantamweight Champion Stuart Hall, was in Manila recently with former world champion Sugar Shane Mosley and Fil-Am entrepreneur Germaine Gilles to lay the groundwork for a fund-raising dinner and a world championship boxing event scheduled in May to establish projects for orphans of the recent calamities in the Visayas and Mindanao.
In a meeting which American lawyer and boxing man Sydney Hall arranged between me and Hobson, the British promoter said he wanted to get involved in the career of selected Filipino boxers who have the potentials of becoming world champions.
When he saw the video of the fights of the left-handed Cristobal, who stands 5? 10? and who holds a record of 7 wins all by knockout, Hobson said he wanted to bring the young Filipino boxer to England where he could undergo world-class training and physical conditioning.
I have accepted Hobson?s offer of help knowing that Cristobal needs world class training and conditioning for him to reach his full potential as a boxer.
A product of the grassroots boxing program which was started when I was Governor of North Cotabato, Cristobal at 11 years old was a member of the provincial amateur boxing team but quit when he went to high school in President Roxas town.
When he came back two years ago to my farm in Paco, Kidapawan City where we have established a modest boxing gym, Cristobal was a lanky 17-year-old accompanied by his father who said his son wanted to become a professional boxer.
In his first appearance in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato in 2012, Cristobal knocked out his opponent in the first few seconds of the first round nearly sending the other boxer out of the ring. He has since fought seven times, knocking out five of his opponents in the first round and the other two in the third round.
Fast and quick for his size, Cristobal is a southpaw who packs natural power but who still needs a lot of refinement in his movement inside the ring and his repertoire of punches.
In the Philippines, however, big boxers like Cristobal are often lost in a limbo because of the absence of good sparring partners and quality opponents to really test their skills.
Hobson said he would like to contribute to the development of Cristobal as a professional boxer knowing that if the young fighter stays in the Philippines, he will not have enough quality sparring partners and opponents because of his size.
In his last message sent by email to me, Hobson said he wants Cristobal to be trained for three months in London before he will be given his first fight in England.
Photo: Cristobal (R) pose with Dapudong and Manny Pacquiao.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Manny Piñol.
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