MANILA, Philippines – Unbeaten superflyweight contender Drian (Gintong Kamao) Francisco?s manager Elmer Anuran was paid P45,000 ? the rough equivalent of $1,000 ? to settle his wager with Carlos Costa, the Panamanian boxing aficionado who bet on Ricardo Nunez in a WBA title eliminator at the Ynares Gym in Pasig last Saturday night.
Costa said he met up with Anuran for the payoff at the Holiday Inn after accompanying Nunez to Medical City where the fighter underwent a CT-scan to check on any injury that could have resulted in losing to Francisco on a fifth round knockout.
Nunez, ranked No. 1 by the WBC and No. 2 by the WBA, was floored twice in the first round and twice more in the fifth before referee Bruce McTavish stopped the carnage at 2:52 of that round.
After the fight, Nunez was brought to the hospital in an ambulance for tests. Dr. Marjorie Chavez supervised Nunez? examinations and later cleared him of any damage.
?We were in the emergency room for about half an hour,? said Costa. ?Ricardo didn?t think it was necessary but we understand it?s standard procedure. We appreciate the concern of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB). It was my responsibility to make sure he was fine and I?m glad he suffered no injury whatsoever.?
Costa said Nunez never got untracked after going down twice in the opening round.
?Ricardo was on the attack when he got hit by a left,? said Costa. ?He was never the same again. It was like he was in a daze after that. Drian has an awkward style and Ricardo couldn?t see where his left was coming from. He got caught cold and never recovered.?
Costa disclosed that Nunez suffered a similar fate against veteran William DeSouza in a bout in Panama three years ago. DeSouza stopped Nunez in one round but ?El Matematico? bounced back to score seven wins in a row, six by KO.
?Ricardo could?ve quit after going down twice in the first round but wanted to go on,? continued Costa. ?But he just couldn?t regroup. I was encouraged by text messages from many Filipino friends who appreciated his courage. I received texts from Gerry Penalosa, Chino Trinidad, Dennis Principe and Danrex Tapdasan (a lawyer who is a boxing referee). Ricardo wants to continue fighting. I expect him to drop in the world ratings but he?ll still be in the top 10. He hopes to become a world champion someday.?
Nunez left Manila last night for Los Angeles where he will take a direct flight back to Panama.
* * *
McTavish was a last minute replacement for Thai Pinit Pradyasab to work the Francisco-Nunez bout. The day before the fight, WBA official Julio Thyne informed GAB boxing chief Dr. Nasser Cruz that Japanese judge Takeshi Shimakawa wouldn?t be able to fly in and Pinit would take his place. Pinit?s brother Chalerm and American Sergio Caiz were the other judges.
Dr. Cruz said he approached Nunez? camp to choose either McTavish, a New Zealander, or American Gene Del Bianco as referee. Costa consulted Nunez and his handlers and they agreed on McTavish who has a glowing reputation all over the world.
* * *
Anuran said Francisco?s win over Nunez sealed his mandatory crack at the WBA superflyweight title. He will take on the winner of the showdown between defending champion Nobuo Nashiro and Mexican challenger Hugo Cazares in Osaka on May 8.
?We expect Drian to fight for the title in August or September,? said Anuran. ?If Cazares wins, we?ll make an offer to promote the fight in Manila. Cazares? manager Nacho Huizar told me he doesn?t mind a title defense in Manila if the price is right. If the fight isn?t in Manila, it will probably be in Los Angeles. If Nashiro wins, the fight will be in Japan.?
Anuran said he expects Cazares, a former WBO lightflyweight champion, to dethrone Nashiro. Costa agreed.
?I think Cazares will beat Nashiro,? said Costa. ?Their first fight was a draw and Cazares should?ve won. Cazares is strong in the 115-pound division. He has excellent technique and his style is tailor-made to beat Francisco. But let?s see what happens. Francisco has an awkward style and it?s hard to predict where his punches will come from. I give Francisco a 30 percent chance to win over Cazares but you never know in boxing. Francisco has power and he showed it against Ricardo. Last year, I watched Cazares face Roberto Vasquez in Panama. Cazares got up from a knockdown in the eighth round to win a unanimous decision. Vasquez was floored twice. The same Vasquez lost to Francisco by knockout in Manila last October.?
* * *
Francisco said his win over Nunez was for the Filipino people.
?I know how good the Panamanians are in boxing,? said Francisco, referring to Panama ring legends Roberto Duran, Ismael Laguna, Alfonso Lopez (who knocked out his first pro trainer Erbito Salavarria) and Hilario Zapata. ?But I wanted to prove that Filipinos are the best.?
The win raised Francisco?s record to 19-0-1, with 15 KOs.
Anuran, who produces the weekly TV show ?Saved By the Bell? and owns the Touch Gloves boxing stable of 11 fighters, pitched a shutout in Saturday?s card. All his fighters scored wins. Francisco?s younger brother Lloyd, sporting cornrows, survived a late rally to pound out a unanimous 10-round decision over tough Leonardo Doronio in a featherweight bout. Undefeated Al Sabaupan, 21, claimed the vacant IBF Pan Pacific lightweight crown via a brutal third round stoppage of Indonesia?s Heri Andriyanto who suffered a broken nose and left the ring with a huge welt under the right eye. Nino Magboo, 22, retained his WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title by a unanimous 12-round verdict over Rey Las Pi?as.
