A LOCAL boxing promoter will lead a fund raising boxing event to help an ailing former world title contender that placed Cordillera in the map of boxing.
Brico Santig of the Highland Boxing Gym is eyeing September for the fund raising activity aimed to help former OPBF super featherweight champion Rey Tam.
According to earlier reports, Tam is suffering from Alzheimer?s disease and heart ailment.
The Kapangan boxing idol wrested the oriental belt from Apollo Yoshio of Japan in 1978.
Tam, 66, was credited as one of only two Filipinos who challenged world junior lightweight champion Alexis Arguello in Los Angeles for the world title. The other was Rolando Navarette.
Tam was also credited for triggering a boxing tradition that led to the discovery of other Igorot ring talents, a tradition upheld by the La Trinidad-based Highland Boxing gym managed by Santig.
“Possible venue is sa La Trinidad but if we can find a good gym in Baguio City better so we can more audience,” said the WBC promoter of the year.
Santig added while no date is set yet, he hopes to include a WBC Youth World Championship in the main event.
Tam was ranked No. 1 by the WBC in the super featherweight division and brandished an unbeaten streak of 23 fights when matched against defending champion Alexis Arguello of Nicaragua in a title fight at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California.
With a string of impressive wins, Tam earned a crack at the Philippine super featherweight crown held by Al Espinosa in 1977 and promptly ascended the throne via a 12-round decision before outpointing Yoshio to capture the Oriental 130-pound belt.
Tam later went on to stop Hae Eun Chung in a fight that set up his crack at Arguello?s title but lost to the Nicaraguan in five rounds who only arrived in the US a day before his bout as Tam had difficulty obtaining clearance from the Philippine government to travel because of martial law.
Tam last fought in 1982 but was halted by Flash Villamer in a Philippine lightweight championship fight as he hang up his gloves for good wounding up a record of 36-9-1, with 14 KOs. Tam was diagnosed to be suffering from a cataract condition in the right eye and underwent surgery in 1984.
