Manny Pacquiao’s electrifying victory over Erik Morales has captured the imagination of the nation. And because of this, expect thousands of kids to take up the sport as a quick ticket to wealth, prestige and success.
Most boxers, like Pacquiao, fight because they have no choice. It’s their only escape from grinding poverty. However, not all boxers fight for fame and fortune. Some boxers actually fight because they just want to engage in the sport.
The closest I ever got to actually boxing in the ring was when I had a fistfight with my cousin when I was 10 years old. We had a big argument and of course as boys are wont to do, we settled it by fighting.
My cousin being a year older and about a head taller kept me at a distance with his longer reach. He made a virtual punching bag of my head and face before I managed to hit him with one clean punch right in the mouth. The fight ended as he ran home crying.
I ended up with a black eye that hurt for weeks, a split eyebrow that needed stitches to close (and which left a scar that I carry to this day) and contusions on my forehead and face. My cousin lost a tooth. But we became close friends and never again had a fight.
So while I liked watching boxing bouts, getting into a boxing ring as an adult is not up there with the list of things I’d like to do. Apparently, not everyone is of the same mind.
I visited the Mojo Gym in Quezon City, probably the most famous, or notorious, of the boxing gyms which offer boxing as a sport. There I met lawyers, and other professionals training in the ring. These aren’t exactly street fighters but there is still something primal, savage even, about a sport where the purpose is to inflict punishment on a fellow human being.
And yes, other than just sparring against gym-mates they do actually fight other boxers from other gyms. It’s not well-known but actor Cesar Montano is actually the reigning welterweight (69 kg) champion. He beat Roland Sanchez of Red Corner, BF Homes last year for the “unofficial” title.
They do not have a formal organization and as such there is no formal title to be won, no publicity and no fanfare when they compete.
Among the boxers I met was lawyer Gallant Soriano who works in the Bureau of Customs. Soriano insists that boxing is cathartic, which helps him relieve the stress that builds up in the office.
“I’m into a lot of sports but my favorite is boxing. It’s a cardiovascular workout and resistance training. It helps build muscles. It helps keep me mentally alert. It requires coordination of footwork and punches,” said Soriano.
Conditioning is of utmost importance in boxing. It’s a sport that demands much of the athletes, and boxers need to be in the best physical condition because they are competing against similarly well-conditioned athletes.
There are actually almost as many women as men training in their gym. One of them is Nancy Sio, Mojo Gym’s comely operations manager, a recent convert to the sport.
“I don’t really know why I box,” candidly admitted Sio while casually stroking.her knuckles studded with fresh cuts which will heal into callouses. It’s the prize that beginners have to pay to gain admission into territory reserved only for boxers.
“And, I don’t really know why so many women are going to our gym to box. Maybe it’s because they want to be in control. For me being a boxer means that I have taken the first step to take control of my life. Maybe others, and not just women, feel the same way.”
Training both Soriano and Sio is Richard Gestopa, a bemedalled amateur boxing standout before he became a professional boxing trainer. Gestopa was a member of the Philippine Army boxing team from 1989 to 1998 and a member of the Philippine boxing team from 1989 to 1992.
Being a former soldier he could probably be doing something else with his life. But the lure of the ring is too strong. Not being able to fight, he stayed on to teach the “sweet science of boxing” to anyone who’d care to learn.
Gestopa has experienced how it is to be a true boxer. He knows how it feels to work alone for long hours punching at a heavy bag until his knuckles bled; to watch what he eats religiously; and to try to sweat off extra pounds wearing a plastic raincoat, minutes before final weigh-in.
He knows the taste of a mouth guard as it stretches the corners of his mouth. He knows the experience of gargling a mouthful of water and spitting out blood. But most of all, he has seen from the corner of his eye, the referee raise his hand in triumph at the end of a fight.
“The biggest attraction of boxing lies in the fact that boxers, especially the professionals like Manny Pacquiao, are on their own when they fight,” said Gestope. “ The trainers and the corner men may be around. But they have nothing to do with the fight. The fighter is alone in that ring. And so many things are in his mind: excitement and sometimes fear, bordering on terror. There’s no experience like it.”
Mojo Gym is at 75 Rosemonth Tower, Panay Avenue, Quezon City with tel. nos. 373-6943/6944.
