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BIG TIME BOXING RETURNS TO CAGAYAN DE ORO TODAY By Dong Secuya PhilBoxing.com Sat, 26 Apr 2008  Cagayan de Oro City -- Waking up from its stupor, big time boxing is back in this bustling city of Northern Mindanao as one of its up-and-coming sons, Eusebio Baluarte, Jr., tries to capture the vacant WBO Youth Junior Welterweight Title against visiting Thai Yai Sithsaithong at the MPSC Gym here tonight. This city is used to be the mecca of boxing in Northern Mindanao in the 1980s and 1990s when fans from all over the island come to see local heroes strut their wares on a regular basis against visiting pugilists. "The disappearance from the scene of boxers like Jongjong Pacquing, Jess Maca and Richard Acailar had effectively put to a halt the big time boxing promotion in the city," said Cagayan de Oro based boxing manager and promoter Flory Rontal, whose son Kenneth handles up-and-coming boxer Ciso Morales. The emergence of Pacquiao in the world boxing scene has inspired every true blooded boxing afficionado in the Philippines to be reinvigorated. Most boxing managers and promoters in the country are now looking for the next boxing star to follow the footsteps of the man from General Santos. "We are thankful that big promotions are now happening in Lanao and Zamboanga, and now in Cagayan de Oro," said Rontal. "This will only help the overall boxing landscape in Mindanao and will inspire a boxing manager like myself to look for a good prospect so we will be able to compete." Eusebio Baluarte (12-1 9KOs), who is only 21 years old, is a well-kept secret molded by long time boxing manager Leonil Lazarito. Lazarito now feels that the time has come for Baluarte to go out into the open and make the first step in the long road to boxing glory. "I feel that now he (Baluarte) is ready," Lazarito told the local media who came in full force at yesterday's press conference at Philtown Hotel. "So I approached Gov. (Oscar) Moreno and asked him if he could help me promote this fight." The Misamis Oriental governor, who himself has a fledging boxing amateur program in place and who helped promote the fight of another Cagayanon, the ALA Boy Milan Melindo, a few months earlier, readily agreed to Lazarito's request. "We know that boxing is a good avenue for our youth to make a name for themselves so we give our wholehearted support on it," Gov. Moreno said. He also cited how Pacquiao was able to unite the country single-handedly. Tonight's card dubbed as "Rumble in Mis-Or, First Step to Glory" and promoted by Leolet Sports Promotion with the support of Gov. Oscar Moreno, is an 11-bout boxing event with most of the province's up and coming fighters seeing action. Top photo: Eusebio Baluarte, Jr. (2nd from left) and Thailand's Yai Sithsaithong (2nd from right) pose with Gov. Oscar Moreno (center) and boxing officials after yesterday's presscon at Philtown Hotel in Cagayan de Oro city. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.  |
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