JUXTAPOSE those names, put them up in bright lights and ask yourself if it is a case of ejusdem generis. Legends Pacho Villa and Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde have been enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and there is no doubt as to their status in Philippine pugilistic lore.
Manny Pacquiao? He?s not in consideration for the ? The Greatest Fighter of This Era? tag for nothing.
If he doesn?t get it in, I promise to write about women?s synchronized swimming from now and rename this column into the Last Lap.
Gerry Pe?alosa might be a tough call. As I have admitted countless times before, I am hopelessly partial to Gerry but the vote-givers at the Hall might not be as sympathetic.
Gerry won two world titles at the superflyweight and the bantamweight divisions. But he lost a lot of close fights that could truly have gone either way.
Even the Daniel Ponce de Leon loss, to me, was closer than what the scorecards reflected. The Eric Morel split decision setback was a travesty. To me, Gerry belongs in the Hall of Fame. But then again, only if it were all up to me.
FILIPINO FLASH. Which brings us to Nonito Donaire Jr. His recent annihilation of Fernando Montiel netted him his second world title in as many divisions albeit if you count the interim WBA super flyweight diadem he garnered when he beat Hernan Marquez, that makes it three.
But it is not so much the alphabet belts that makes Nonito worthy of keeping company with the aforementioned trio, but rather the manner in which he won those titles plus, of course, the champions he took them from.
There?s the rapacious Vic Darchinyan, undoubtedly a predator in the lower weight divisions. This power-punching southpaw has annihilated 27 of his 35 opponents inside the distance.
But then Donaire introduced him to his left hook and brash Vic got so smitten by it, he immediately lost his senses and stumbled around the ring like a corporate executive who had three vodkas for lunch.
Ditto with Fernando Montiel. The accomplished three-time world champion was regarded by many as one of the top pound- for-pound fighters in the world.
Feared and respected for his tough but technical approach, many pundits thought he would prove to be a formidable opponent for the ?Filipino Flash?.
Wrong. After getting a sample of that left hook in the first round, Montiel thought he could hang in there with Donaire.
In the second round, he paid dearly for his temerity and got bludgeoned by that very same left hook and was unceremoniously separated from his WBO and WBC bantamweight titles.
Is Donaire now a certified Pinoy boxing legend? Your thoughts are most welcome.
FEEDBACK. Speaking of opinions, thanks to Last Rounders Paul Clarin, Atty. Pio Dargantes and Jack Hall who took time out to provide some feedback.
Atty. Dargantes, a discerning student of the game, pointed out that: ?The left hook?s strength is derived from the proper rotation of the body from the anchor foot toward the hips then to the upper body and finally to the arms and fists. Timing, target placement and speed completes the bomb. Donaire has perfected it.?
ALA Gym?s chaplain Jack Hall (a former boxer himself) also opines: ?It?s all about perfect timing, wise eyes to brain to hands.?
True, true. On my end I was fortunate enough to have the ?Filipino Flash? share with me some tips on the proper way to throw the left hook. Unfortunately, I had too many Last Rounds that night and for the life of me, I can only recall half of what he told me.
Well at least, I can now distinguish fish hooks from left hooks.
LAST ROUND. It?s on the newly elected president for my chapter, IBP Cebu Province- Atty. Ferdinand ?Bong? Pepito. Cheers!
