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Philippines, 01 Dec 2024 |
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Laura Elorde, light in the path of “Flash” to greatness By Eddie Alinea of The Manila Times PhilBoxing.com Thu, 07 May 2020  Laura Elorde. Laura Sarreal Elorde, widow of Filipino boxing great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde is gone. She was 92. Mrs. Elorde, simply “Laura” to relatives and close friends and members of Philippine Media, who passed away last Sunday, personally met her future husband a little more than a year after the “Flash’s” professional debut in 1951. It was on July 26, 1952 after Bay, as Elorde was also fondly called, crowned himself the Philippine bantamweight champion at the expense of idol Tanny Campo, in a rematch of their first meeting, Flash, likewise, won. College-bred Laura and the lowly-born Cebuano were married in February 1954 and soon the daughter of manager/promoter Lope “Papa” Sarreal served as the light in in her husband’s path to become one of Asia’s and the country’s greatest boxers after Pancho Villa and eventual enshrinement to Boxing’s Hall of Fame. Soon, too, as he using his fists, as studiously and as religiously did Bay learned the refinement his wife taught him. From the time he started his prizefighting career in 1951, Elorde had always wanted respectability and Laura provided that to him. In the same year that he captured his first PH title, he became the Oriental 118-pound kingpin, proof that luck, too, had adopted him following Laura’s arrival in his life. It was also around this time in meeting Laura, who was later to become the mother if seven children, that made her the guiding hand that molded him into the polished Elorde as he turned out to be. For shortly after disposing off Campo, he was signed up by the older Sarreal to fight in Japan. 
Laura,(third from right) during the Philippine Sportswriters Association 2000 Awards Night honoring the Filipino Athletes of the Century where he represented her husband. Also in photo (from left) are bowler Bong Coo, then Philippine Sports Commission chair, the late Butch Tuazon, Lydia de Vega (athletics), this writer, Chess Grandmaster Eugene Torre and Paeng Nepomuceno (bowling). Photo from EDDIE ALINEA's file. The humility and transformation of character he learned from Laura served Bay from there and displayed fruits during his two fights with American world featherweight champion Sandy Saddler. First on July 20, 1955 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum where he was remembered as a gentleman and refusal to engage the tough-talking defending champion in his trade. Elorde triumphed in that confrontation. Which Bay showed again during a rematch on January 15, 1956, this time in Saddler’s home turf in San Francisco, California with the latter’s crown on the block. Cut and bleeding from the head-butting, elbowing and glove-lacing the American-African dealt him, Elorde fought and tried the seize the title cleanly and honorably. Elorde accepted his fate silently. Angered fans and supposed to be predominantly pro-American international press, opposed the the verdict resulting in the referee’s being banned for life from officiating in California. The The Flash shifted to the heavier lightweight division and won the Oriental, Philippine 135-pound title and the world junior-lightweight gonfalon successfully defending them seven times. On July 30, 1971, the Filipino’s own country’s governing body of boxing, the Games and Amusements Board, stripped him of his license following his defeat to Japanese youngster Hirojuki Murakami, reported to be three years old when Bay fought his first four-rounder. The GAB said it was deeply concerned for his well-being and it was high time he retired because of that loss to a virtually newcomer and for the “sake of preserving the country’s ownership of his prestige, being an institution in the boxing game.” The old champ was hurt and went to go to court, but Laura, then his wife of 17 years, as in many times in the past, remained unfazed by the end of her husband’s prizefighting career. She wanted him to be happy again. She reminded Bay that God was in charge of their lives, that the family of nine had lived wonderful lives thus far by trusting Him and should continue to trust Him. Laura’s words came true. Three years after semi-retirement, he met Thai Munchai Mongkapetch, whom he forced to a fifth round TKO to win the ‘fighter of the month’ honor. A few more victories followed until things turned to bad again leading tom his retirement for good. Elorde passed away of lung cancer a day after New Year’s Day in 1985. A few years later with daughter-in-law Lisa in tow, Laura instituted the ‘Annual Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Memorial Awards Night,’ honoring past and present boxing heroes. Among those so far honored were eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, past titlists Nonito Donaire, Brian Viloria, Rene Barrientos, Erbito Erbito Salavarria, Rolando Bohol, among others. Last March, the 20th edition of the Awards Night was supposed to be held but was aborted with the imposition of lockdown in Metro Manila and the whole of Luzon. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea of The Manila Times.  |
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