SINCE the 1970s, General Santos, the southern port city once known as Dadiangas, has been home to many boxing champions, the most popular among them two-time world champion and current World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight king Manny Pacquiao.
Another is Rolando Navarrete, who ended the drought in the country’s search for a world boxing title in 1981 when he knocked out Cornellius Boza Edwards, the WBC junior lightweight champion, in the third round.
Navarrete became an instant celebrity, but later earned the moniker “Bad Boy from Dadiangas” for his wayward tendencies. He successfully defended his crown twice, but not long after, he fell from grace due to his career miscues and extravagant lifestyle.
When he lost his title, he was abandoned by his fans, even his wives.
The late Andy Balaba, Philippine flyweight titleholder, was not as lucky as Navarrete. In 1982, in a failed bid to capture the world flyweight crown, Balaba died from brain injuries inflicted during a fight with a Korean champion.
Despite the misfortunes of the boxers, many youngsters, most of them coming from poor families, wanted to follow in their footsteps.
Many failed, some succeeded. Aside from Pacquiao, General Santos’ favorite sons who did well in their boxing careers include Bernie Torres, World Boxing Organization junior bantamweight champion; Abner Cordero, WBC international bantamweight champion; and Zarlit Rodrigo, WBC international mini-flyweight champion.
Once a boxing haven
There were times when General Santos served as a haven for both amateur and professional boxers. In the 1970s, boxing had become so popular in the city that many boxing stables sprouted and that almost every month, big boxing tournaments were held.
It was during this time when the Bernabe Coliseum, then considered Mindanao’s first modern stadium, was built to cater to the growing number of boxing tourneys staged in the city.
The lull in boxing history occurred only in the late 1990s when the husband of a politician took the helm of the local chapter of Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (Abap).
Continuing program
Adriano “Rey” Golingan, the chapter chair, said that for several decades, the city had consistently embarked on a boxing program to discover young talents from the grassroots.
Golingan recalled that Cordero, Rodrigo and even Pacquiao were products of the Abap-sponsored “Boxing at the Park,” a tournament held every weekend at the oval plaza. The competition, now dubbed the “Pa-boksing Alang sa Kabataan” is a joint project of Abap and the city government.
Golingan, himself an aficionado, put up the Manny Pacquiao Memorial Gym last year, using his own money and resources.
The Abap official claimed that the gym was named after Pacquiao as a tribute to his feat in bringing honor and pride to the city and the country.
Since construction of the facility began, the Filipino ring icon has not contributed even a single centavo for its maintenance or for support to the fearless boys who dream of becoming future Pacquiaos.
10 in-house trainees
The gym is maintained by two trainers—Rodrigo and Dexter Benatero—who are both accomplished boxers.
Benatero was once the top Philippine flyweight contender and Pacquiao’s contemporary.
At present, 10 in-house amateur boxers in different weight categories train daily at the gym.
Golingan is shouldering expenses for food of the boxers, while the city government pays the monthly salary of the trainers.
The Abap chair was grateful that generous businessmen, like Paul Dominguez of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) and Rudy Rivera of the RD Group of Companies, extended help to the boxers.
Through the continuing boxing program, Golingan is hopeful that the city will again produce another world-class fighter.
Promising boxers
Among the 10 amateur boxers training hard at the Pacquiao Gym is 12-year-old Rolando Navarrete Jr. and Sadam Barambangan, 15, a former “Batang Tun-og” (street child).”
Navarrete Jr., the former champion’s son by his fourth wife Liza Ayod, won his first fight on Jan. 15 during a tournament in time for the fiesta celebration of Senior Sto. Ni?o in Bula village.
Roberto Navarrete, his uncle, said the boy was staying with his other uncle Romeo, a retired Coast Guard official.
The boy, who joined the training pool at the gym just a month ago, was a stowaway. His paternal grandfather fetched him from his mother’s house in Koronadal City and brought back to General Santos to train in boxing. The boy is determined to follow in the footsteps of his idol Pacquiao.
His uncle revealed that Navarrete had once seen the boy training in the gym when he dropped by. But the uncles didn’t want the young boxer to stay with his father. Instead, they wanted him to grow up a disciplined fighter.
Former street kid
Barambangan said he used to be with a group of street children, but Rodrigo convinced him to become a boxer.
Despite the hardships in training, Barambangan, already a local champion in the 36-kilogram category, was happy he left the life of a vagabond.
Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., a boxing fan, said that “if we [don’t] start developing young boxing talents, who will replace Manny?”
He agreed that among other sports, it is only in boxing that the Filipinos can have a big chance of becoming world champions.
He believed that the city managed to produce several champions because of its consistent program and the local residents’ passion for the sport.
“The city has been a boxing haven for several decades. Through this, the people have developed a strong passion for boxing. This was complemented by our continuing program to discover young boxing talents on the grassroots level,” Acharon said.
Many people, particularly those from poor families, see boxing as a way out of smothering poverty, the mayor said.
