Fight for honor and glory. Fight with our heart and soul. Call me old school, throwback or just plain old. But these are words we haven?t heard in a long time and meant with full ?gusto.? These were the words of former two division world champion Rosendo Alvarez of Nicaragua when asked about the difference between today?s boxers and those from the past. Is he correct? Is this true these days? But who is Rosendo Alvarez?
Alvarez, who is here as trainer and manager for Yesner Talavera at last night?s Pinoy Pride 35, was one of the best little men in boxing, winning the WBA minimumweight and light flyweight titles in his prime. This was the same period when our very own Edito ?ALA? Villamor was also at his peak and gunning for a world championship. We?re talking about the early to late 90s when Pinoy Pride, Latin Fury, pay-per-view, Top Rank, Golden Boy, HBO and Showtime were not boxing?s major players. Both Villamor and Alvarez fought Mexican legend Ricardo ?Finito? Lopez with contrasting fates. Villamor was knocked out by Lopez, but Alvarez was the only boxer to hold Lopez to a split draw/technical decision in a fight that many thought Alvarez won. He is the only boxer to send the Mexican idol to the canvass, courtesy of an excellently-timed counter right straight. Catch it on youtube and you?ll see what I mean. When we found out that Alvarez was in town as Talavera?s trainer, we couldn?t stop the surge of throwback thoughts and memories from those good old days of the 90s when Boulevard and Harrison Park were the venues to watch pre-recorded fights and NBA games on wide screen TV. We also couldn?t help but ask about the state of boxing today and compare this to the past. And because of this, a lot of attention was trained on Villamor and Alvarez at the press events for Pinoy Pride 35. Never before had we experienced something like this. Two great warriors who fought at the same time but who never fought each other are now together but at opposite corners as trainers. With them in one room, we couldn?t help but bring up a new ?fight? for last night: Pinoy Pride 35.5, a special match between the two throwback warriors. Three two-minute rounds would be sufficient in a fight we dubbed as ?No Guts. No Glory.? (No Money, too). This fight would?ve been the most awaited from last night?s card and would settle ?unfinished business.?
But why would this fight click? Why will this outshine all the other fights? I would have to go back to the why?s of the time they fought. Alvarez and Villamor fought in a time when they didn?t fight for the money, a fact that both boxers stressed. Alvarez reiterated that in their time, they gave their heart and soul in each fight, ?pelea con su alma y corazon.? (I prefer the original Spanish verbatim). and money wasn?t the main reason why they fought. They also fought for honor and glory, and Alavarez quickly talked about Nicaragua?s greatest Alexis Arguello, a classic icon in boxing. Today? Alvarez said that boxers get to choose their opponents, fight more for the money and talk too much. At this point, philboxing?s Dong Secuya asked if he was referring to Floyd Mayweather and Alvarez just gestured with this hands mimicking a fast-talking mouth (fingers to thumb routine). Records look better today because they fight opponents of lesser quality or competitive level. Thus, fights aren?t competitive and also bring about problems in decisions, some of these controversial. He then added that boxing should be about the best fighting the best. After hearing all this, my press conference was done and complete. Here was a true warrior from the past talking about the sport that made him what he is today. My next thought was to get him back on the ring to show us how it?s done.
We?re now seeing what we can call a boxing generation ?divide? between the ?millenials? and the throwback warriors. With boxing turning more into a business where HBO and Showtime are now more important than a world title and where practically the whole alphabet is being used up for boxing bodies propped to ?govern? the sport, boxing fans and boxers from the past have a tough time adjusting to today?s ?trending? developments. They also wish that boxing goes back to the days when there was only one true championship per division so the sport is guaranteed of the best fights across the globe. Ironically, we had a glimpse of this at the undercard fights of last night?s event with eight-fight young Melvin Jerusalem fighting ex-world champ Florante Condes; ten-fight old Jeo Santisima clashing with veteran Marco Demecillo; and young upstart Elmo Traya against Romeo Jakosalem. Will we have more of these in the future? This is boxing at its best.
Let?s bring boxing back to those good ole days, shall we? You want fame? You want to be boxing?s best? You want to earn respect? Here?s a friendly advice: No Guts. No Glory!
