Who?s the greatest Filipino athlete?
Conceived way back in 1985, the idea of establishing the first ever Philippine Sports Hall of Fame finally got off the starting block last April 13 with veteran members of the Philippine Sportswriters Association composing the PSHF Review, Evaluation and Screening Committee.
Although it is a Philippine Sports Commission undertaking, PSC chair Harry Angping named only sportswriters with long and proven credentials to handle the tough task of selecting and screening the nominees for enshrinement into the Hall of Fame.
This move, as Bulletin sports editor Ding Marcelo once wrote, will no doubt erase the suspicions that ?politics will again taint the selection process,? adding that ?inductees to sports halls of fame anywhere in the world are selected by sportswriters.?
After much debate and deliberations, the committee, headed by Philippine Daily Inquirer sports editor Teddyvic Melendres, selected 12 individual awardees and one national team for induction into the Hall of Fame. Here is the initial batch of Hall of Famers:
1. Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde
2. Francisco Guilledo (?Pancho Villa?)
3. Ceferino Garcia
4. Benjamin Gan (?Small Montana?)
5. Eleuterio Zapanta (?Little Dado?)
6. Salvador ?Dado? Marino
7. Jose ?Cely? Villanueva
8. Anthony Villanueva
9. Simeon Toribio
10. Miguel White
11. Teofilo Yldefonso
12. Carlos ?Caloy? Loyzaga
13. RP Basketball Team to the 2nd World Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
It?s boxing which created the biggest impact on the international sporting scene. Flamboyant Pancho Villa from Iloilo City became the first Asian and Filipino world champion when he scored a stunning knockout victory over Jimmy Wilde of England in the seventh round of their title flyweight match on June 18, 1923.
But humble and simple Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde, a native of Bogo, Cebu, was, beyond doubt, considered the greatest?alongside current seven-weight division king Manny Pacquiao and Pancho Villa.
After winning the World Boxing Council junior lightweight title by knocking out American Harold Gomes in the seventh round on March 16, 1960 at the overflow 20,000-seat Araneta Coliseum, Elorde, a southpaw, went on to successfully defend the crown 10 times in a span of seven years and three months to become the longest reigning world champion in the 130-pound division.
A son-in-law of boxing?s grand old man, Lope ?Papa? Sarreal Sr. (Elorde was married to Laura Sarreal, Papa?s Tokyo University-educated daughter), he fought the best and the toughest. He was the first Asian and Filipino fighter to be enshrined into the New York-based International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.
During his illustrious career, Elorde outpointed all-time featherweight great Sandy Saddler in a nontitle bout in Manila in 1955. But he lost to the black American boxer in a title bout in 1956 by technical knockout after he suffered an ugly cut over his brittle eyebrow in the 13th round at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
Boxing experts at ringside could not believe what they saw.
Wrote Jack Fiske of the San Francisco Chronicle: ?It was a dirty fight throughout and all the onus must be on the 126-lb champion?s (Saddler) skinny shoulders. From this corner, it appeared highly improbable that he could have successfully defended the title? if he hadn?t resorted to all the so-called tricks in and out of the rule book.?
Elorde also challenged lightweight crown-holder Carlos Ortiz of Puerto Rico twice, but Elorde, who was terribly outclassed, lost to the heavier and far too superior Ortiz by stoppage in the 14th round both times.
With age catching up, Elorde retired with a record of 88 wins, 27 losses and 2 draws with 33 knockouts. He last held the 130-lb title on June 15, 1967, when he lost by a majority decision to challenger Yoshiaki Numata of Japan.
Elorde died of lung cancer on Jan. 2, 1985 at age 49. (To be continued)
