In the aftermath of the near-fatal incident that befell Z “The Dream” Gorres, who underwent an expensive brain surgery at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, UMC doctors have proposed to increase the insurance coverage to $1 million from $50,000 for injured boxers.
While Gorres has partially recovered from the operation to remove the blood clot from his brain three months ago, the 27-year-old brave Filipino fighter has yet to settle an enormous hospital bill totaling $562,000 or more than P26 million.
The boxer collapsed minutes after he was declared winner via a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Melendez of Colombia at the Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues and was rushed to the hospital.
Gorres’ manager, Michael Aldeguer of Cebu’s ALA Promotions; pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, Cebu’s local government and other good Samaritans have already extended help to the ill-starred boxer, but their help was not enough.
Now is the time to come to the aid of our professional boxers, most of whom are impoverished, unschooled and runaways, too afraid to even steal. I learned that these boxers could not even avail of death or accident insurance coverage because their insurance policy did not cover boxing matches.
As a result, the Games and Amusements Board, the ruling body for all pro sports, had to dole out money from its dwindling coffers. The GAB gave P50,000 to the family of the late boxer Alex Aroy, who belonged to the stable of boxing promoter and Pacquiao confidante Wakee Salud. Aroy died hours after he collapsed after losing to Arnel Tadena in a match held in Villaba, Leyte, last February 2008.
In the past Congress, House Bill No. 5069, also called the Flash Elorde Boxing Reform Act, was filed, but I don’t know what happened to it. HB 5069 was similar to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of the United States, which aims not only to protect pro boxers from ring injuries but also from the machinations of dishonest promoters and managers.
Only when a boxer dies or suffers injuries in the ring is the public angered, and our lawmakers and editorial writers moved to rage against the reformation of the sport. And then, some months later, when the anger has subsided, what is left?
We often read of boxers being exploited, of boxers becoming disabled like Gorres or reduced to stuttering derelicts such as the great Muhammad Ali, but even though too many people are paying lip service to boxing reform, hardly anyone is making a significant headway. Now, could you blame me for walking away from professional boxing?
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Bowling icon Paeng Nepomuceno, one of the sport’s most highly-regarded competitors and coaches, recently got a first-hand look at the new International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum and the United States Bowling Congress headquarters at Arlingon, Texas. Opened last Jan. 25, the new site replaced the old one in St. Louis, Missouri.
A six-time world champion, Nepomuceno is featured prominently in the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum with his large photo displayed just inside the front entrance. He is also the first athlete to be enshrined in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame for being a five-time PSA Athlete of the Year.
Paeng is still competing—and making waves at age 53. He is now working with the United States Bowling Congress Coaching Program over the past three years and scheduled to conduct certification courses in June in Jakarta and in July in Hong Kong.
“It’s great to get athletes such as Paeng to visit our facilities,” said USBC vice president Neil Stremmel, adding that some 30 coaches from the United States, United Kingdom and Mexico will be taking part in the first coaching certification course at the International Bowling Campus here this weekend.
