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ASIAN HALL OF FAMERS By Rene Bonsubre, Jr. PhilBoxing.com Fri, 26 Jan 2007 GABRIEL "FLASH" ELORDE How do you measure greatness in sports? In track and field the difference between good and great may be just millimeters or milliseconds. Titles won and years of dominance are part of the criteria in any sport. Consistency is also used as a measuring stick. In boxing, the quality of opposition is arguably the most important criteria. Did a certain fighter face and beat the best opponents available? Here are the boxers from Asia who made the grade and established a lasting legacy in the square ring. They are enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. Gabriel “Flash” Elorde (88-27-2 with 33 KO’s) of Bogo,Cebu, Philippines is the gold standard in Asian boxing. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. He turned pro in 1951. He made his presence felt in the world scene in 1955, when he surprised everyone and beat reigning world featherweight king Sandy Saddler over 10 rounds in a non-title fight in Manila. In 1956 he was given a rematch with Saddler, this time with Saddler's featherweight title on the line. Elorde suffered a cut eye and lost the fight on a 13th round TKO despite leading in the judges scorecards. His career defining fight came in 1960 when he knocked out defending world junior lightweight champion Harold Gomes of the U.S. in the seventh round at the historic Araneta Coliseum. Gomes was knocked down twice in the 2nd, once in the 3rd, once in the 5th, and twice in the 7th round. Elorde’s reign from March 20, 1960 until June 15, 1967 makes him the longest reigning world junior lightweight champion ever (seven years and three months). That record remains untouchable. During the sixth year of his reign he faced Ismael Laguna of Panama in a non-title bout and won by a ten round decision. Laguna was down in the 4th and 9th rounds. The Panamanian would later win the world lightweight crown. He had two unsuccessful attempts at the lightweight crown from Carlos Ortiz pushing the champ to the brink but the Flash was stopped twice in the fourteenth round. A chain smoker [after his retirement in boxing - Ed], Elorde died of lung cancer at the age of 49. He is the first Asian inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. As far as quality of opponents are concerned; Saddler, Laguna and Ortiz are also in the Hall of Fame. FRANCISO GUILLEDO (PANCHO VILLA) Francisco Guilledo more populary known as Pancho Villa ( 73 W ? 5 L- 4D , 22 KO, 23 no contests) was the first Filipino to win a world boxing crown. He was born in Ilog, Negros Ocidental. He stood only 5 feet tall and never weighed more than 114 pounds but he regularly fought taller and heavier men and even bantamweights. On June 18, 1923, at the Polo Grounds in New York, Villa beat one of boxing’s earliest superstars Jimmy Wilde of Wales to win the world flyweight belt. He then fought an incredible twenty five times from July 1923 to May 1925. Most of them were non-title bouts. He already had three successful title defenses in the States, all 15 round decisions, over Benny Schwartz (Oct. 1923), Georgie Marks (Feb. 1924) and Frankie Ash (May 1924). His last title defense was against countryman Clever Sencio on May 1 1925 when he made a successful homecoming to the Philippines. Villa fought in a non-title bout with Jimmy McLarnin on July 4, 1925 in Oakland. He was weakened from the recent extraction of a wisdom tooth and Villa lost the decision. It was to be his last fight. Villa ignored the dentist's instructions for follow-up visit, and instead continued to party. The infection worsened thus causing his death. He was dead at 23 years old. The world will never know how great Villa could have been. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994. MASAHIKO HARADA Masahiko "Fighting" Harada (55W-7L, 22 KO) is arguably Japan's greatest fighter ever. He won the flyweight and bantamweight world titles during the time when there were only 10 weight classes and one champion in each division. Harada, who turned pro when he was 16, won his first 25 bouts. Harada received his first world title shot on October 10,1962 he became the world flyweight champion by knocking out Pone Kingpetch in the first round, in Tokyo. Harada lost the title in his first defence, being outpointed by Kingpetch over fifteen rounds in their rematch. On May 17, 1965, Harada defeated Eder Jofre in Nagoya, by a fifteen round decision, to win his second title, the world bantamweight title. Jofre was undefeated in fifty fights coming into this bout, and considered by many of his fans to be unbeatable. He had two unsuccessful attempts to win a third world crown, losing to featherweight Johnny Famechon. Harada was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995. Just like Villa and Elorde, Harada is cited by Ring magazine as one of the top 80 fighters of the last 80 years. KHAOSAI GALAXY Khaosai Galaxy whose real name is Sura Saenkham earned the nickname The Thai Tyson by successfully defending the WBA superbantamweight title 19 times, 16 by knockout, over the course of seven years. Both are division records. Unfortunately, only one of those bouts, a 1986 win over Israel Contreras in Curacao was outside Asia. He won the vacant WBA title on Nov. 21, 1984, beating Eusebio Espinal by sixth-round kayo. He is widely acknowledged as Thailand's greatest boxer. The only knock on his record was that he never faced a future hall of famer caliber fighter. But his dominance was good enough to make the grade. He retired as champion with a 49-1 (43) record and was acknowledged by many as the best 115-pounder in history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999. The concept for an International Boxing Hall of Fame started in 1982 when residents of Canastota, New York decided to honor former welterweight and middleweight champion Carmen Basilio and Billy Backus, who won the world welterweight title in 1970. They established boxing's first hall of fame and museum which was completed in 1989. MANNY PACQUIAO Manny Pacquiao at this stage of his career has certainly cemented his Hall of Fame credentials. He is the first Asian to win Ring magazine’s Fighter of the Year Award. He has won two alphabet belts ? WBC flyweight and IBF superbantamweight ? and in the era of fragmented titles, has been bestowed the rare honor of being given the historical and linear world featherweight championship belt by Ring magazine when he beat Marco Antonio Barrera last November 2003. There are two opponents in his resume ? Barrera and Erik Morales ? who are also future Hall of Famer. The Pacman also has plenty of gas left in his tank to go at full throttle for another three to four years. The Elorde comparison will always be there but their legacies will be different. For Pacquiao it will be winning multiple titles rather than longevity in a single weight division. The title belts of the 130 lb. division are his for the taking. There is also a history making leap into the lightweight division which would make a great and fitting tribute to the Flash. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..  |
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