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Philippines, 13 May 2025 |
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ARANETA COLISEUM WILL REMAIN THE ?MECCA? OF PHILIPPINE SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Fri, 03 Aug 2012  Competition is regarded as the essence of a free enterprise system within a democratic society such as the Philippines today. The major beneficiaries are generally the consumers who enjoy the opportunity to make a choice. With the launching of the modern Mall of Asia Arena on Roxas Boulevard which people say is patterned after the Staples Center in Los Angeles, home of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jorge ?Nene? Araneta has embarked on an ambitious and costly effort to refurbish and upgrade the fa?ade and more importantly the facilities of the Smart Araneta Coliseum often referred to as ?The Big Dome.? The launching of Grand Atrium, known to the public as simply ?the Green Gate? subtly underscored the differences. The choice of NBA champion Miami Heat coach Eric Spoelstra to cut the ceremonial ribbon hours before game 5 of the PBA Reinforced Conference Championships, accentuated the difference between the Smart Araneta Coliseum which has been likened to New York?s famed Madison Square Garden which itself is regarded as the ?Mecca? of boxing if nothing else. While the MOA Arena may showcase spanking, new facilities the Smart Araneta Coliseum is steeped in history and tradition and has served, since its inauguration on March 16, 1960 as the heart and soul of Philippine sports and entertainment. Spoelstra whose mother is from San Pablo City, Laguna said ?This place is world-renowned for harnessing Filipino talent in all fields ? from entertainment to sports. It mirrors uncompromising resiliency, the Filipino level of excellence and its heritage. I am proud to be a witness to this extreme transformation.? The champion coach who enjoyed Game 5 of the PBA Finals where BMeg Llamados clawed back to beat Rain or Shine and rained on a planned ROS victory party noted that ?Basketball is a global game. Its tough but at the same time exhilarating and gratifying. I am happy to note that we are not only keeping the positive Filipino fighting spirit on the court, but upgrading our facilities and venues as well.? The storied history of the Smart Araneta Coliseum will surely be enhanced but never matched because that indeed is the advantage of the passing of the many summers it will always enjoy over any other arena in the country. The inauguration in 1960 with the wife of then President Carlos P. Garcia as special guest could never be equaled let alone surpassed. As Jorge ?Nene? Araneta, son of the visionary businessman-sportsman J. Amado Araneta who conceived of and built the Big Dome to provide the best entertainment for Filipinos at very reasonable prices noted, there were over 30,000 people packed into the coliseum for the world junior lightweight championship in which a hero of our time, Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde scored a spectacular 7th round knockout over American Harold Gomes to win the world title which he held for almost seven-and-a-half years. Elorde fought some of his most memorable ring battles at the Araneta Colisuem including his fifth and final encounter against the remarkable Japanese Teruo Kosaka whom he dropped no less than five times en route to a 15th round knockout. For sheer electricity the ?Thrilla in Manila? between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier on October 1, 1975 which fired the imagination of fight fans around the world remains unmatched. Even to this day people recall that memorable occasion while the fight itself is considered the greatest heavyweight battle of all-time. It seems fitting that ?Nene? Araneta is considering a final touch in tribute to the heroes who etched their names in the memories of millions by putting up two statues on either side of the Grand Atrium immortalizing Elorde and Ali and Frazier. The incredible eight-division world champion, pound for pound king and ?Fighter of the Decade? Manny Pacquiao made the first defense of his first world title, the World Boxing Council flyweight crown against the first Mexican he battered, Gabriel Mira whom he dropped three times in the fourth round to win by a TKO on April 24, 1999. Pacquiao returned to the Big Dome on July 2, 2006 to score a unanimous twelve round decision over Mexico?s Oscar Larios in a battle for the WBC International super featherweight title. But boxing isn?t the only sport that fans associate with the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Basketball, both the collegiate leagues and the professional Philippine Basketball Association have made the Big Dome their home for years. In fact, the PBA which was inaugurated in April 1975 has played thousands of games at the venue, stirring passions during the glory days of the famed Crispa-Toyota rivalry and in more recent years reverberating to the chants of fans of the league?s most popular team , ?Gi-neb ra! Gi-neb-ra!? The attendance record for basketball was set in the seventh and final game of the 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference between Barangay Ginebra Kings and the Air 21 Express which was packed to the rafters with 23,892 paying patrons underscoring the drawing power of Ginebra. The UAAP 2008 Samsung Cheerdance competition also attracted a record-breaking crowd of 23, 448. One can never forget the game between 1978 NBA Champions Washington Bullets and a PBA All Star Selection in 1979 or the epic victory of the Philippine Youth team coached by the brilliant American Ron Jacobs over mighty China in the finals of the Asian Youth Championships in 1992 as well as the 1978 FIBA World Men?s Basketball Championships. A galaxy of lovely lissome lasses parade each year in the Binibining Pilipinas Beauty Pageant while top entertainers from around the world including hometown superstars regularly hold concerts that fulfill the dream of the late visionary Amado J. Araneta to provide Filipinos with world class entertainment at affordable prices. The list is endless ? Julio Iglesias, Andy Williams, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Commodores, Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka, Pat Boone, Perry Como, Matt Monro, Chubby Checker, the Everly Brothers, the Osmond Brothers, Johnny Mathis, Patti Page, Connie Francis, Nat King Cole, Jack Jones, The Lettermen and a host of some of the biggest names in the world of entertainment.. In an emotional moment that touched the lives of the predominantly Catholic Filipino nation Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at the Big Dome on February 1981 and announced then that ?This place will be called the colosseo of papal audiences.? In many ways the Smart Araneta Coliseum is a colosseo for all audiences who share a common love and appreciation of sports and entertainment. That would surely please the man whose vision gave substance to it all ? J. Amado Araneta. 
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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