PRO boxing in the Philippines needs a shot in the arm to produce more boxers in the mold of a Manny Pacquiao. The sport is on the decline.
Gone are the good old days when many Filipino fighters earned international fame and appreciation because of their prowess in the ring.
One reason why pro boxing has declined is the dearth of great champions. It is also because the business of boxing promotions is no longer profitable. Still, former boxing manager and promoter Northern Samar Gov. Raul Daza said people should not lose heart and throw in the towel. “There is a vital need to stage more boxing promotions in the Philippines, if for no other reason than to develop a virile Filipino race,” he stressed.
In 1996 when I headed the Philippine Sportswriters Association, Speaker Jose De Venecia and Daza, then the Senior Deputy Speaker, helped me revive the PSA Fiesta Fistiana, a tax-free boxing card for the benefit of destitute and disabled boxers. A substantial amount (the biggest ever on record) was raised from the charity card, with the proceeds audited by the accounting firm Sycip Gorres Velayo and Co.
By submitting itself to an audit, the PSA set a fine example for other fund-raisers, eliciting excellent responses from all sectors, notably its generous sponsors.
During his term, Daza batted for the revival of pro boxing in the Philippine by offering inducements so that enterprising people may once more engage in fight promotion.
That plea will not be unheeded this time around.
Starting at 6 p.m. tomorrow, international matchmaker Jun Sarreal will stage a double main event card at the Casino Filipino in Para?aque pitting Filipino boxers against visiting fighters from Indonesia and Thailand.
In the 12-round championship bout, undefeated Rodel Mayol stakes his Orient Pacific Boxing Federation minimumweight title against OPBF No. 2 contender Marti Polii of Indonesia. In the other 12-round mainer, Thai No. 2 flyweight Somyot Vor Suapol takes on former Philippine champion Edgar Rodrigo, conqueror of the sensational Z Gorres.
Billed as the next Pacquiao, the soft-spoken Mayol is a boxer to watch.
Only 23 years old, Cebu-born Mayol is leaving nothing to chance.
“Tatapusin ko siya sa loob ng limang rounds (I will stop him inside five rounds),” said the 5-foot-4 Mayol, who sports an impressive record of 19 straight wins, 15 by knockouts, against Polii’s 20-5-2 win-loss-draw slate. In previous fights held in Jakarta, Mayol whipped all his three Indonesian opponents. “And I am determined to preserve that unbeaten streak,” stressed Mayol, who launched his ring career in the amateur ranks where he lost only three times in 125 fights.
For his part, promoter Sarreal said, “We need to help and develop more boxers like Mayol. I think he deserves to be given the opportunity for a crack at the world title.” At the same time, Sarreal brushed off the common misconception that Filipino promoters bring foreign boxers here who have no chance of winning. “Polii is rated No. 2 by the OPBF and that speaks very well about his credentials,” added Jun Sarreal, son of the late Lope “Papa” Sarreal, the grand old man of boxing. Papa Sarreal, by the way, will be enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame (non-participant category) in Canastota, New York, during glittering ceremonies set June 9 to 12.
The young Mayol, his manager Joy Ouano, Sarreal, Rodrigo and Bangkok lawyer Narong Hengtrakul, handler of Thai boxer Surapol, graced last Tuesday’s weekly PSA Forum sponsored by Red Bull and Agfa Color at the Manila Pavilion.
“My boxer (Surapol) is no patsy,” Narong assured the media during a pre-fight interview.
