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Philippines, 24 Nov 2024 |
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INSIDE SPORTS -- A GREAT WEEK FOR BOXING By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Mon, 06 Apr 2015  Last week was a hectic and truly exciting one for our favorite sport ? boxing. There was the 15th Annual ?Flash? Elorde Awards and Banquet of Champions at the historic Manila Hotel and on Saturday, the terrific fight card at the Araneta Coliseum which indeed is the home of boxing, beginning with its inauguration on March 16, 1960 when ?Flash? Elorde won the world junior lightweight championship with a spectacular 7th round knockout of American Harold Gomes with youthful promoter (at that time) ?Nene? Araneta claiming that somehow they squeezed 36,000 people into the venue. Years later, the Araneta Coliseum solidified its claim to fame by being the venue for the famous ?Thrilla in Manila? between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in a fight regarded to this day as one of the greatest heavyweight championships of all-time. Indeed, whenever Mr. Araneta, a respected friend of the past fifty years visits the US on business or vacation, people who know where he is from always talk about the ?Thrilla in Manila? which is part of the storied history of boxing in our country and one which our collective memories will never forget. Ali, speaking through his daughter Rasheda has said he is with Team Pacquiao ?all the way? in his multi million dollar showdown with undefeated pound for pound No.1 Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas on May 2 . It was a clear indication of Ali?s affection for the Philippines and the Filipinos who treated him so well during his visit to Manila. Beyond that is his respect for Manny Pacquiao, the eight division world champion, as a terrific fighter but more than that, for Manny?s remarkable concern for the people in need and his overall demeanor outside the ring. This is a quality that is dear to the heart of Ali who, like Pacquiao, has always fought for his principles highlighted by the consuming desire to help people and for peace and unity. The lives of Ali and Pacquiao who defended his WBC flyweight title at the Araneta Coliseum and scored a smashing 4th round TKO over Gabriel Mira of Mexico on April 24, 1999 are somehow linked by both the Araneta venue and the boxing fans in our country to whom Pacquiao and Ali are indeed heroes of our time. ?Flash? Elorde, the first Filipino boxer to be enshrined in the Boxing ?Hall of Fame? whose birth anniversary is celebrated every year with an absolutely classy presentation by son Johnny and his wife Liza who works unbelievably hard to ensure the success of the event which somehow seems to get even better every year, took the awards night to another level with the elevation of WBO and Ring Magazine light flyweight champion Donnie ?Ahas? Nietes who surpassed Elorde?s 47 year old record of reigning as world champion for 7 years and 3 months last January 1, to the Elorde ?Hall of Fame? alongside popular five division world champion Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire. They were enshrined alongside the first fighter to be honored as a ?Flash? Elorde Hall of Fame inductee, Manny Pacquiao. Elorde?s grandsons, WBO Asia Pacific junior lightweight champion Juan Martin ?Bai? Elorde who is a southpaw like his grandfather and even carries his nickname ?Bai? and Juan Miguel ?Migs? Elorde, a talented super bantamweight both won rather handily to cap a night of worthy homage to their illustrious grandfather although, to be brutally frank, they are a far cry from the consummate skill, savvy and overall ring generalship of the ?Flash.? As their grandmother, the charming matriarch Laura Elorde told us some months ago when welcoming Donnie Nietes to her home in Sucat, Paranaque, young men from a comfortable life will not make it, unlike those from the depths of poverty such as Elorde himself who was the son of a poor farmer from Bogo, Cebu and Pacquiao. There is something inherent in the poorness of young people that drives them to look at their poverty not as a burden but as a challenge, invariably rising to great heights on the anvil of dedication, discipline, hard work and the innate courage of the Filipino. To be sure Donnie Nietes, just like Elorde whom he considered his hero and his inspiration and Pacquiao, who is a genuine hero and a source of pride and continuing joy to a nation of 100 million, is worth extolling as one of the greatest Filipino fighters of all-time. Photo: Nietes and Donaire were enshrined into the Elorde Hall of Fame during the 15th Elorde Awards Banquet of Champions held at the Manila Hotel on March 25. L-R: Sen. Koko Pimentel, Nietes, Laura Elorde, Donaire, Bebot Elorde and Johnny Elorde. Photo by Dong Secuya. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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