Filipino Rey Danseco was a judge in WBC lightflyweight champion Pedro Guevara?s first title defense against unbeaten Richard Claveras of Silay City, Negros Occidental, at the Centro de Usos Multiples in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico two weeks ago. Everyone in the packed stadium was shocked when Claveras was knocked out at 2:31 of the first round. Claveras came in with a fearsome record of 12-0-2, with 12 KOs, but never got to display the fury of his fists.
At the start of the fight, Claveras stalked Guevara. He tracked the Mexican titleholder around the ring with his right hand cocked and his left hand dangling at the side. Guevara quickly saw the opening and landed an overhand right to the jaw. As Claveras crouched, Guevara whipped a vicious left hook to the side of the body. Claveras went down, gasping for air, and took the full count. Games and Amusements Board boxing chief Dr. Nasser Cruz flew all the way from Manila to witness the fight and he, too, was in shock.
?Based on Claveras? record, he?s a fast starter,? said Danseco, a Quezon native who migrated to the US three years ago and now lives in San Francisco. ?He had a good start, backing up Guevara. But the champion never panicked. I noticed Guevara quickly studied Claveras? style and saw the left hand down, leaving an opening for a right straight. Maybe, Claveras wanted Guevara to come in so he could counter.?
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Danseco said Claveras made the fatal mistake of turning towards Guevara?s right when he was trapped along the ropes. ?Instead of moving to Guevara?s weak side, he went straight to his right,? recalled Danseco. ?So when Guevara threw the overhand right, it was solid because Claveras? left hand was down. When Claveras got hit, his right side opened up and Guevara threw his favorite left hook-uppercut to the body. Claveras dropped to his right knee then both knees with his gloves on the canvas. He looked at his corner. He was badly hurt. After the fight, I went to Claveras? dressing room. His handlers Ryuta Kato and Warren were in shock while trainer Virgilio Openo took his gloves off. Dr. Cruz was also there. I asked Claveras what happened and he told me he wanted to stand up but was in terrible pain when he tried to move. I?m wondering if Claveras? team scouted Guevara because when he won the title in Japan last year, it was the same punch that knocked out Akira Yaegashi.?
Danseco, 42, said he was prepared to score a 12-round bout. ?This was another chance for me to prove my fairness and impartiality not as a Filipino but as a WBC judge,? he said. ?I hoped to show that my scorecard will reflect what happened in the ring. Whenever I judge a fight, I always think I?m a Filipino. Like Manny Pacquiao, I try to do my best to bring honor to my family and country. That?s what is in my heart and mind. When I judge, I don?t look at the color of a fighter?s skin, I don?t care what country or stable a fighter comes from. I just look at the punches, defense and what a fighter does in the ring and that?s what comes out in my scorecard.? Dean’s Corner ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Danseco said prayers help in doing your best in whatever you do. ?Whether it?s a big or small fight, I?ll never let down my countrymen,? said Danseco, a journalism major and mass communications graduate of Polytechnic University of the Philippines. ?It is for our country that I do my work as a boxing judge. It?s my small contribution to honor our country.?
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Danseco said the biggest fight he?s ever judged was in 2011 when Bernard Hopkins became the oldest fighter to win a world title at 46, outpointing Jean Pascal for the WBC lightheavyweight crown in Montreal. He said his other memorable assignments were the WBA/WBC superwelterweight unification title fight between Saul Alvarez and Austin Trout in San Antonio in 2013 and the WBC middleweight championship bout between Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and Andy Lee in El Paso in 2012.
Asked to name the men who influenced his career, Danseco singled out Bruce McTavish and the late WBC president Jose Sulaiman. ?Dad Bruce is one of our resource persons every year during the WBC judges and referees seminar,? he said. ?I admire his humility, his personality and besides, he?s a true Filipino because of the work he does for the poor in Angeles City. Don Jose was charismatic and I learned so much from him, like not to be afraid to score a 10-10 round if necessary and not to look at the color of the skin, race or stable of a boxer. He also reminded me to give importance to dignity, credibility, fairness and impartiality in scoring every round. Being a judge is my destiny. I never aspired to be a boxing judge but I?ve been a boxing fan since the 1980s because of my father.?
Danseco said the three critical qualifications of a boxing judge are credibility, integrity, impartiality, fairness, pride and no fear in making the right decision in scoring a fight. ?You must also have the heart to learn about the rules and regulations of boxing by attending seminars,? he added. ?A boxing judge must be knowledgeable because a fighter?s life and career are on the line whenever he fights and that?s why there must be justice in every scoresheet.? Danseco was named WBC Judge of the Year in 2012 and Judge of the Year at the Elorde Awards Night for three straight years up to 2012.
