Tomorrow from 4 p.m. to midnight, a third of the Greenhills promenade parking lot will be transformed into a battleground for 10 fitness gyms as 86 novice fighters – including eight ladies – slug it out in 43 bouts in Chris Sports’ second King of the Ring team boxing competitions.
Bragging rights are up for grabs and thousands of fans are expected to witness the open-air affair, which promises to be even more exciting than the first King of the Ring at Eastwood last September.
Jay San Pedro’s Tiger City Gym took the inaugural King of the Ring crown before a crowd of 7,000 and is back to defend its title with a contingent of 10 fighters. The challengers are last year’s runner-up The Champ, Charlie’s Gym, Manoy’s, Powerpunch, Punch Out, Sarreal Boxing, Red Corner Gym, Celebrity Sports and Main Event.
Chris Sports managing director Gilbert Tang, a La Salle marketing graduate, said the success of the first tournament prompted the second staging ahead of schedule.
“We initially planned to hold the second King of the Ring late this year but there was a clamor for the gyms to do it again sooner,” said Tang. “Now, we’re thinking of doing it twice a year. Fitness boxing is the ‘in’ sport these days and we at Chris Sports conceptualized the King of the Ring to generate even more interest in physical conditioning through boxing.”
Each fight is scheduled for two rounds with two minutes a round. The gym with the most points at the end of the tournament, based on the highest three and lowest one scores, wins the championship.
The weigh-in is set at 5 to 8 this afternoon near the parking lot with two restaurants bidding to host.
A few weeks ago, Chris Sports conducted a two-part leveling process at the Red Corner Gym in Makati and Manoy’s on Aurora Boulevard to avoid mismatches. Fighters were graded from levels 1 to 5 with gym representatives rating the protagonists other than their own. All the fighters are novices and not affiliated with the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines or the Games and Amusements Board.
“This isn’t only a fun event but also serious fighting,” said Chris Sports marketing manager Arleen Lindo. “The fighters have been training hard for months and they don’t want to be embarrassed. Manoy’s, for instance, is sending 24 fighters. Anthony Pe?alosa of Red Corner is bringing in competitive fighters, too. Former pro Gary Garay has a group of tough fighters from Charlie’s Gym. And Francis Magalona, who works out at the Sarreal Boxing Gym in Banawe, is outfitting his entire team. We’re expecting a lot of celebrities like Polo Ravales to watch at ringside.”
International matchmaker Jun Sarreal is providing a compact 16×16 ring for the fights “to make sure nobody runs away.”
Tang, 30, said three years ago, Chris Sports took a more aggressive marketing position as it began to expand. Today, Chris Sports has 24 stores, 14 in Metro Manila, and is still growing after 21 years in the business.
Tang’s father Christopher heads Dynamic Sports which imports sporting goods and fitness equipment. Its popular brands include Head, Babolat and Nordic Track. Tang’s mother Elizabeth, an avid tennis player, is the president of Chris Sports. The family’s first business was in electronics and communications through Avesco which was established in 1948.
“Chris Sports tries to provide the market with quality products in sports and fitness that others don’t carry,” said Tang. “We specialize in racket sports, fitness equipment and the martial arts. We don’t usually carry products, like sports shoes, that you can find in other sports stores. That is our niche in the market.”
In its fitness boxing line, Chris Sports is the exclusive distributor of the Mexican Cleto Reyes gloves that Manny Pacquiao swears by (P8,000 a pair), Windy gloves from Thailand (P2,200 a pair), Bull’s gloves from Pakistan (P1,800 a pair), Mooto fighting shoes from Korea (P2,800 a pair) and Brain-Pad mouthguards (from P360 to P1,400 depending on the size, breathing space, hardness and material). The Reyes gloves are either 10 or 12 ounces but other brands range from eight to 14 ounces.
Tang said gumshields are particularly popular because they’re also used in taekwondo, weightlifting and other fighting arts. Brain-Pad mouthpieces, which protect a fighter from concussions, are now required in professional women’s boxing bouts. Chris Sports’ best-selling fitness equipment is the motorized treadmill whose price range is from P50,000 to P120,000.
“In the King of the Ring, we don’t charge fees for the fighters or spectators,” said Tang. “Everyone is welcome to join. Our role is to promote sports and fitness. We want to show that competition is fun, too.”
