I COULD be wrong but if it’s any indication that I might have been right, the crowd that watched the fights wholeheartedly concurred with my scorecards: The crowd booed the contradictory results announced by Rolando Mendoza, the ring announcer.
I refer to the bouts featuring Joel Bauya against Roger Galicia, and Elmer Gejon against Carlo Besares.
They are no Pacquiaos, not yet anyways, but Bauya and Besares showed some spunk, even class, when they dished out their wares in the main bouts of a slugfest that I had covered three nights ago in Mandaue City.
Bauya is the reigning Philippine bantamweight champion, Gejon the mini-flyweight champion.
The fights were among six bouts scheduled at the newly refurbished New Gallera de Mandaue in Mandaue City on March 28. I raise a glass to Col. Vicente Loot, the police provincial director, for a job well done in renovating the arena.
I covered the fights from ringside, joining the Fistorama crew of producer Boy Cantada and director Manny Gabutina, who did a splendid job bundling up the fights for TV viewing Sunday afternoons on RPN 9.
Not only did Boy Cantada bring along famous sportscasters Ed Picson and Quinito Henson for the TV commentary of the fights, he also had as special ringside guest Celso “Kailyan” Templo, the assistant Customs Commissioner who took a well-deserved timeout after foiling a smuggling attempt hours earlier at the city port with the seizure of nearly 30 sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Customs Commissioner Bert Lina must be very proud of Apo Cesar’s latest accomplishment that Bert himself had to fly to Cebu that day to witness the operation. Not to brag but had Bert known I was there, he might have also watched the fights — with me as his chief bodyguard no less. Bert, a great catch by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and I have been pals since way back.
On second thought, I think it’s to Bert Lina’s credit that he didn’t watch the fights. He might also disagree with the verdict of the bouts I had mentioned and it could lead into a spoiler to a day made memorable by those “pogi points” for Customs at the wharf.
For, truth to tell, but the boxing presentation, put up by the inimitable Rex Wakee Salud, was marred by the booing in reaction to what the crowd thought was flawed decisions in the Bauya-Galicia and Gejon-Besares fights.
So disappointed was Besares, from the City of Kidapawan, that he cried unabashedly on his way to the dugout after the judges saw Gejon, the “batang klab” himself, the winner by unanimous decision.
The verdict was instantly met with the loudest, longest boo I have ever heard after a long, long while.
The booing returned not long after, when the judges ruled the Bauya-Galicia fight a majority draw when it was very evident that Bauya had clearly kept his 118-pound title.
In the Gejon-Besares bout, Ed, Quinito and I couldn’t figure out how Gejon, the crowd’s very own since Gejon is a native himself of Mandaue City, retained his crown.
Besares, always on the offensive, had clearly outfought Gejon and no way Besares could have lost it. In our scorecards, Besares is the new Philippine champion in the 105-pound limit.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Besares had shed more tears than sweat when the verdict was announced. He brought his bitterness all the way to the lockers, sobbing uncontrollably the minute he stepped down from the ring.
The mockery in Mandaue is the kind of judging that destroys the future of Philippine boxing. Thus, wonder no more why we only have one world-class fighter at the moment: Manny Pacquiao.
If Eric Buhain, the new Games and Amusement Board (GAB) chair, is reading this and doubts my position, he should immediately watch the fights on tapes.
If, after the viewing, the chair would say the judges were right on both fights, I rest my case.
What I’d do next is, maybe, to surrender my license as an international boxing judge.
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FASTBREAK. My deepest condolence to brothers Dante and Nonong Fernandez and sisters Vielma Almonguerra and Diding Mosher, whose mother, Rosita “Tia Rosie” Tutica Fernandez, died on March 29 after a lingering illness. The remains of Tia Rosie lie at the residence of Nelson and Leng in Dayao, Roxas City. Interment will be announced later… Also sending my condolence to the loved ones of Vir Diwa, the very dignified Nissan executive, who passed away yesterday, also after a lingering illness. God is good and that’s why He’ll have mercy on the souls of good persons like Tia Rosie and Vir.
