Several guys who masqueraded as boxers fought one another during the holidays and successfully fired up their followers on social media by showcasing bouts that were a total embarrassment to the noble art of prizefighting.
I immediately reached out to Games and Amusements Board (GAB) chairperson Baham Mitra and he confirmed that these abnormal fights had taken place in the course of the Christmas season.
“Yes, we have told them not to do it again,” Mitra said.
In fact, the GAB, “though its legal division, is working on proper legal action, in case there is, against the organizers of the event.”
Mitra didn’t name names, but hinted that the guy behind the slugfest involving local online personalities is not an average Joe but an influential individual.
You see, the hyped matches were accompanied by sewer language, all types of trash talk and wild antics.
And many of the fellows who slugged at one another looked like somebody who would board a passenger bus or jeepney and rob people of their cash, gadgets and jewelry.
It was clear that the organizers didn’t care about weight class because one big dude was matched against a rival who was a lot smaller than him.
In another fight, some kid from the Visayas whose punching style had substance was paired with a Manila boy who was clearly in there for money and exposure on social media.
As expected, the Manila boy didn’t last a round as his corner jumped in to save him from further bodily harm.
But wait, there’s more!
A foul-mouthed beefcake from NCR (National Capital Region) had to call “Time Out” in the middle of a fight as former pro fighter Jayson Casimero, the trainer and brother of world bantamweight champion John Riel, started landing blows.
After blaming myself for wasting precious time watching the freaks do their thing, I asked a scribe-friend if he had also seen the fights.
