LOS ANGELES — They?re getting ready and there?s the tinkle of silverware, the clinking of wine glasses traveling all the way from dear old Manila to the clogged corridor of the Wild Card gym here.
Of course, the famous boxing parlor where the reverend Freddie Roach preaches the profitable infliction of pain doesn?t turn into a mini-carnival until next Saturday, first day of Fall, when the Manny Pacquiao Roadshow returns here.
But it will be a small celebration when the Filipino boxing superhero, after an experimental training stint in Cebu City, steps back into the sweatshop where all the great things started for him.
The bigger party will be at the historic Manila Hotel by the bay.
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Based on the prospective guest list, ticked off by the nosy boxing chronicler Nick Giongco, a Wild Card regular being sorely missed here, it will be a strictly tuxedo affair the Philippine government will be hosting in November.
The event is the World Boxing Council (WBC) Convention.
It?s actually more than just a convention.
Other than the old technical seminars, the tired philosophical lectures, the event is expected to swim in opulence as the attending biggies, led by Don Jose Sulaiman, receive the fabulous Filipino hospitality morning, noon and evening.
On the guest list are Don King, Oscar De La Hoya, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and practically all card-bearing members of the world boxing glitterati.
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The affair, by the way, is a brainchild of the happy-go-lucky chair of the Games and Amusements Board, Eric Buhain, favorite son-in-law of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.
Buhain had to hold a smaller but extra expensive boxing convention in 2005, a sort of dry-run with most invitees from Asia, to make sure this big one will be a success.
Anyway, Buhain did not say it, but the WBC bash is obviously his way of splurging to thank all those who mattered in the prizefight firmament for the RP victory in last month?s Boxing World Cup in Sacramento.
Maybe it?s also a tailspin of the joust for the historic pinning down of former President Joseph Estrada in a plunder case?
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For the record, and this has got to be told, the Boxing World Cup was won by the Philippine team through the solid efforts of Cebu sportsman Tony Aldeguer and his ALA Stable, with no visible government support whatsoever.
Anyway, the WBC Convention should be truly momentous if Manny Pacquiao scrapes past Marco Antonio Barrera in their rematch in Las Vegas on Oct. 6.
That could assure there would be more than enough boxing excellence to showcase to the world during the convention.
But there?s another thing Buhain and his backers must prepare for.
There?ll be interested attendees who would check how the Philippines has achieved success, despite the absence of a centralized boxing development program.
For example, how could a country with no boxing commission to speak of, unlike neighbors Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea, continue to hit the jackpot in big-time boxing?
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In case you did not notice, the coziest effort by the government for boxing comes in the form of a ticker tape parade, followed by a happy audience with the President, for Filipino world crown winners.
Noting the sordid lack of support, Freddie Roach had earlier sounded a call for the RP government to set up several clinics, and possibly a national academy, where poor aspirants could enter and pick up the sound basics of the cruel sport.
Funny how that relevant call had conveniently been buried in the hysteria over the many triumphs achieved mainly through efforts of private groups and individuals.
For sure, those who would bother to dig into the secret behind the success story are bound to conclude that the Philippines did everything with a lucky punch.
A sure, scientific shot at stardom could be assured if half the money to be squandered in the WBC party is set aside for the more noble task of setting up free boxing schools in the hub of poor communities.
The Reverend Roach would be greatly repaid and relieved that way.
