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Philippines, 21 Mar 2026 |
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65 Years of Flash Elorde's Historic Feat; The Decline of Local World Boxing Bouts By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Wed, 19 Mar 2025  Last Sunday, March 16, marked a history-making event 65 years ago which seemed lost or overshadowed by the current political issues and to-dos. On that date in 1960, Gabriel Flash Elorde brought the Philippines back to the world boxing map by knocking out American defending champion Harold Gomes in the seventh round to win the world junior lightweight championship before an overflowing crowd at the then newly-opened Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. Elorde was the country's first world boxing champion in nearly ten years after Hawaii-born Salvador Dado Marino lost the world flyweight title to Yoshio Shirai who gave Japan its first global championship in 1951. Affectionately called "Bay" by both people very close to him and his minions of fans, Elorde would establish a record of more than seven years reign as world champion, still be best in the 130 lbs class. It was Elorde who bridged us to the First Philippine Golden Boxing Era of Pancho Villa, Ceferino Garcia, et al. Almost single-handedly, he sparked a Second Philippine Golden Boxing Era in the 60s, ending nearly ten years of world title futility by Filipino boxers. Roberto Cruz briefly reigned as world junior welterweight titlist but lost his crown in his first defense held in the Philippines to a rugged American, Eddie Perkins, on points. Experts have attributed his long, successful hold of the world junior lightweight crown to the fact that Elorde held most of his title defenses in the Philippines. Except for the title rematch versus Gomes held in San Francisco, California which ended in an earlier KO and a couple in Japan including his title defeat to Yoshiaki Numata in June 1967, Bay Elorde held most of his title defenses here, many at the Araneta Dome. This was made possible by his world class and renowned promoter Lope Papa Sarreal who would later become his father in law through supportive wife Laura. Holding world title fights in the country was also very viable as the then peso-dollar exchange rate was just 2:1, later 4:1 by the first term of then President Ferdinand E Marcos, Sr. Following the defeat of Bay Elorde in 1967, holding world title bouts in the country had and has become very difficult for essentially two major reasons. The falling value of the peso in the foreign exchange market particularly versus the dollar and the growing dearth in world class Filipino fighters. But we still had world title bouts held here at the twilight of the 60s and intermittently in the 70s with Rene Barrientos and Pedro Adigue both winning WBC crowns but already in the so called two-belts era. Both lost their titles in first defenses abroad. In the mid 70s, WBC junior lightweight titlist Ben Villaflor made a successful title defense before local fans at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum but former WBC champion, then defending WBA flyweight beltholder Erbito Salavarria failed in his defense at the Araneta. WBC super featherweight/junior lightweight titlist Rolando Navarette closed the decade with a tumultuous defense held at the Rizal Park open arena with no less than President Marcos Sr. in attendance. The 80s saw light flyweight, later flyweight Dodie Boy Peñalosa and then bantamweight Luisito Espinosa winning world titles but already well into the four-belt era. Alas, both lost their titles won abroad before shocked Filipino fans at the Araneta with Peñalosa and later Espinosa succumbing to their foes by TKO. Earlier, Dodie had the privilege of challenging for a world title against Hilario Zapata at the jampacked Dome but lost by unanimous decision to the rangy talented and elusive Panamanian champion. Lindol Espinosa matched the 80s feat of Peñalosa in the 1990s by becoming world champion in a second division-the featherweights. At least Luwi had a title defense here-at the Rizal Park open-air arena stopping a tough Latino challenger. But as if to accentuate the difficulty and complexity of holding world title bouts here, a contentious legal suit against the local organizer immediately followed which took several years but reportedly still with no acceptable settlement as far as Espinosa is concerned. That could be the reason Manny Pacquiao, who won and held world titles in a record eight weight classes between 1998 and 2018 never had a single title conquest or defense bout in the Philippines. Intermittently, we still had world title fights here like the Randy Petalcorin's failed bid for the vacant IBF light flyweight title in 2018, the series between Pedro Taduran and Mark Cuarto for the IBF minimumweight crown both won by Cuarto, the fight between Vic Saludar versus Robert Paradero for the WBA "regular" minimumweight belt in 2020 won by Saludar and Johnriel Casimero winning the WBO interim bantamweight championship via knockout over Mexican Cesar Ramirez at the San Andres Arena in Manila. But none of the type that sent hard-core and casual Pinoy boxing fans trooping to Rizal Memorial and Araneta and had them talking about THE FIGHT for weeks on end. Certainly not the type of fights put up for the Filipinos by the in-law tandem of Bay Elorde and Papa Sarreal (Bless their souls). The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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