Danrex Tapdasan never imagined he would someday become a professional boxing referee when as a boy, he forced himself to take afternoon naps so he could stay awake to watch weekend fights at night with his father in their home province of Zamboanga del Sur.
Tapdasan also never imagined it when he graduated cum laude with a political science degree at Silliman University, finished law at San Beda College, worked in the staff of Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong (Negros Oriental, First District) and as an associate with the Mario Ongkiko law office, won a case over noted lawyer Homobono Adaza for the Fabella family on a property dispute.
But today, Tapdasan is one of the hardest-working referees licensed by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB). At 32, the ?new kid on the block? said he?s still got a lot to learn and won?t ever stop learning to improve on his decision-making in the ring.
Tapdasan said he thought of first becoming a judge because he got tired of paying hard-earned money to watch fights in the stadium. ?I?ve always been a big boxing fan,? he said. ?I used to pay P3,000 or P5,000 for a ringside ticket to watch fights. So one day, I told myself why not try to become a judge. That way, I won?t have to pay my way in and I?ll even get paid for work.?
So Tapdasan hit the books on how to judge a fight before finding the courage to apply for a license.
Two years ago, he went to the GAB office in Makati to apply for a judge?s license and was referred to boxing chief Dr. Nasser Cruz. ?I didn?t know anyone at the office and the staff pointed me to Dr. Cruz,? he recalled. ?I introduced myself. I asked if I could appl
