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Philippines, 23 Apr 2024 |
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Wishes for Philippine Boxing 2009 By Epifanio M. Almeda PhilBoxing.com Thu, 01 Jan 2009  2008 is exceptional for Philippine Boxing mainly because of Manny Pacquiao?s once in a lifetime exploits. While adding a junior lightweight belt to his laurels is an accomplishment, winning a lightweight crown is of greater impact considering that no other Filipino, or even another Asian, has won a lightweight title before. Filipinos could have relished Manny?s lightweight crown for the rest of the year and beyond but for his out of the ordinary and logic defying jump in weight upset win over PPV king and multi-titled Oscar dela Hoya. Though no 147-lb title was at stake, beating Oscar the way he was never before, in addition to winning the 130-lb and 135-lb titles in the same year, made boxing pundits elevate Manny to the level of the great Henry Armstrong. Armstrong held 3 weight division crowns simultaneously in an era where there were only 8 divisions. Gerry Pe?alosa?s and Nonito Donaire?s successful defences of their respective titles for sure contributed to the overall sound health condition of Philippine Boxing in 2008. But there is room for boxing wishes for 2009. Ban boxer-divers. Flyweight Rommel Bongon just couldn?t hide his smile from the time he went up the ring, during introductions and until the moment he was actually facing Ronquillo Salvador on 20 December 2008 at the Elorde Sports Complex in Sucat, Para?aque City. In just a few seconds, Salvador?s 3-punch combination the last being just a light uppercut to the belly sent Bongon to his back. But I could see from my seat as a judge Bongon was smiling! I thought he would get up. He didn?t till the referee reached count 10. Match maker Rudy Perez fumed, ?namera lang ?yan? (?He was just for the money?). Bongon?s boxing license, and the boxers who take intentional dives during fights, should be revoked or not renewed in 2009. Drop the technical draw decision. Jun Piacidad was on his way to scoring a win over Ronilo Sermona in their 8-round 115-lb fight held in the same card with the Bongon-Salvador fight. Then their heads clashed causing a cut on Sermona?s head which the ring doctor ruled to be too risky for Sermona to continue. The fight not having reached past the midway round of 4, the fight was stopped and ruled as a technical draw. Piacidad was denied an opportunity to add a win in his record. This technical draw result is the only blemish in world title prospect Drian Francisco?s record. Francisco was clearly beating Ni?o Suelo until a head butt cut Francisco?s eyebrow and the fight ended in a technical draw in the 3rd round. A sure win went down on record as a draw. Address Ken Smith?s boxing concerns. Ken expressed his laments in his 25 December 2008 article entitled ?DOUBLE STANDARD FOR AMERICANS IN THE PHILIPPINES? (see http://philboxing.com/news/story-21383.html). I haven?t read of any article disputing Ken?s statements which points to the validity of his claims. We need to be concerned with the boxing issues Ken raised and the government bodies concerned should address the same. The success of the American Boxing Academy is Philippine Boxing?s. Limit, if not stop, importation of ring officials on major events. The officiating in Z Gorres-Fernando Montiel fight did not justify the importation of the referee and judges. In that fight, the referee deducted without warning Gorres two times for clinching. In the Z Gorres-Vic Darchinyan fight, the imported referee lost control of the bout. Many local referees could have done a better job. Two of the three judges were foreigners. The Filipino judge showed in that fight that a foreigner fighter can win over a Filipino in a close fight in the Philippines. Nonito Donaire, Jr. and Brian Viloria have their respective world title fights in the Philippines. They have Filipino blood in their veins and they are embraced by Filipinos as their own. But since their citizenships are American, their Mexican opponents, Fernando Montiel and Ulysis Solis, respectively, may not demand the exclusion of Filipino referees and judges to officiate the fights. Assigning Filipino ring officials in big international events held in the Philippines provides these officials with the opportunities to further show their competence and sense of fairness to the boxing world. Seconds to just wipe and not bathe their boxers in the ring. Baths belong to the showers. But if you are in a corner of a Philippine boxing ring, you will not miss seeing a fighter doused with buckets of water during a fight. This bad habit wets the ring causing boxers to slip to the mat. When a fighter slips, the referee usually calls a time out to have the wet canvas wiped dry interrupting a good exchange. Any such interruption may cause injustice to the boxer who has the upperhand in the exchange and an uncalled for respite for the fighter under attack. It was only when I witnessed ringside fights in South Korea as a judge in one fight that I understood the point deduction on Gerry Pe?alosa in his WBC 115-lb title fight against a South Korean in that city years ago. In South Korea, they do not bathe their boxers in the ring. They just wet a face towel to wipe the sweat off their fighters. The ring remains dry and the boxers? sweat which fall to the canvas could hardly cause the boxers to slip. There are still many more areas in boxing we can wish for in 2009. But the best of our wishes are reserved for the boxers themselves. We wish Donaire and Viloria to win their respective title fights. They can also apply for dual Philippine citizenship to validate their claims as Filipinos. We can wish Florante Condes to fight 3 minutes of every round to justify his monicker ?The Little Pacquiao?. We wish Z Gorres and the other ALA fighters to win title fights during the year. We wish Bernabe Concepcion to be ever ready for an opportunity when it comes. I?m not sure if the Juan Manuel Lopez fight as a Manny-Oscar undercard was offered. If it was and not accepted, it was not just a miss but a lost opportunity. ?Opportunity knocks but once?, as the saying goes. Manny grabbed his with Lelo Ledwaba and we can see where he is now. We wish fight promoters, managers and trainers nationwide success to keep boxing alive. We might just find another Manny Pacquiao from among their prospects. Of course the whole country wishes Manny Pacquiao to put up a great fight and win against Ricky Hatton and be as successful in 2009 as he was in 2008. A win against Hatton will make Manny a first fighter to ever holder of four lineal world titles. On my 26 December 2008 article ?It?s high time they blame Manny Pacquiao?, PhilBoxing.com owner Dong Secuya forwarded Cliff Rold?s informative response which I quote below: Mr. Almeda: Read your new piece on Pacquiao; good stuff. However, just as a minor note, I count three lineal World championships (Flyweight, Featherweight, Jr. Lightweight) and two alphabelt titles at 22 and 35. No problem with anyone who counts five divisions, but I weigh lineage much more than the awful sanctioning bodies. No one, in the history of Boxing, has won four lineal World titles. Beat Hatton and Pacquiao is the first. That's history worth celebrating. Cliff Rold BoxingScene.com P.S. The reason Rafael at ESPN rates Marquez over Pacquiao is as recognition of what some (including I) regard as the proper historical line at Lightweight going back to the Castillo-Corrales stuff. Understand disagreement, but Rafael is showing no bias there. Happy Holidays. I?d like to emphasize this to Manny. Cliff says, ?Beat Hatton and Pacquiao is the first? to hold 4 lineal world titles. Beat Hatton and 2009 will mark another milestone for Manny Pacquiao and Philippine Boxing! Since it will be difficult to win 4, much more 5 lineal titles, Manny?s record then would stand unbroken for ages. Thanks a lot Cliff Rold for informing us of this yet another crown to be won. Beating Hatton then would ensconce Manny at least at the level of Henry Armstrong, if not surpass him in boxing greatness. Last but not least wish is for PhilBoxing.com. We wish philboxing.com to continue to successfully carry out its vital and now integral part in promoting Philippine Boxing by proclaiming to the whole world that boxing is anything but dying or dead in the Philippines. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Epifanio M. Almeda.  |
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