I want to fight Manny Pacquiao, absolutely. ? Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Finally, words the whole of fistiana has been aching to hear from the chatty Money May, thus paving the way for a timely rerun of a boxing lore I co-wrote with the memorable Jack Fiske of The San Franciso Chronicle.
THEY were called ?little brown dolls,? but how they could fight!
Some 33 world champions (and counting) enshrined in the record books since the early 1920s attest to the ability, speed, courage and flash of Filipino warriors.
If there was a boxing resurgence in the Philippines today, plus another steady stream of Pinoy ringmen to the United States, the problems of promoters would diminish.
Fans still heatedly debate the relative merits of Flash Elorde, Pancho Villa, Luisito Espinosa and Ceferino Garcia as to who was the best to come out of the Philippines.
The oldtimers swear by Villa, the first ever Filipino to win a world title by a shocking knockout ?no less?of incomparable flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde of England; Garcia, who held the middleweight crown; Elorde, a junior lightweight champion and twice an unsuccessful challenger for the lightweight title; and more recently Espinosa, have the necessary credentials and adherents, who loudly clarion their merits to be no. 1.
It all began with Frank Churchill, an American who migrated to Manila and struck it rich. What Churchill discovered was not gold, but ?little brown dolls,? Filipino fighters who were the islands? greatest sports heroes. Fans paid to enjoy their quick moves, ringmanship and courage.
The Pinoy fight fan is knowledgeable, behaves ideally, understands what he sees and at the same time will not hesitate to slow clap or boo a renowned fighter?s poor performance and demand he not be permitted to appear again.
California?particularly the San Francisco Bay Area?became their land of opportunity.
The ill-fated Villa (Francisco Guilledo) called the second best flyweight of all time, died in San Francisco in 1925 from an ulcerated tooth after losing to Jimmy Mclarnin. His knockout of Wilde for the title put the Philippines on the boxing map.
Elorde captured the world 130-pound title from Harold Gomes, but was twice repulsed by Carlos Ortiz for the world lightweight crown on 14th-round stoppages.
The other notable, who became a rare double champ was Luisito Espinosa, who knocked out Kaokor Galaxy of Thailand in one round to win the World Boxing Association 118-pound title and had two successful defenses before losing the title to Israel Contreras of Venezuela. He is the 7th universally recognized champion since the 1800s to clinch in succession the 118- and 126-pound weight classifications.
With such a rich boxing heritage, it is surprising that the Philippine amateur boxing program has not kept pace with the professionals. Two silvers (featherweight Anthony Villanueva in Tokyo and light flyweight Mansueto Velasco in Atlanta ) and four bronze are the country?s only Olympic medal winners
The hottest ticket currently is Manny Pacquiao, who continues to waylay the opposition in all of the weight classes he competes in. He was a flyweight as well as a super-bantamweight world champion before making good in the heavier weight divisions.
Give the Filipino a fight worthy of attendance and he will show up despite his lack of allegiance to either fighter.
One of the greatest boxing spectacles ever was the 1975 ?Thrilla in Manila,? between two Americans, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and challenger Joe Frazier. Araneta Coliseum, designed for 20,000 spectators was filled to capacity with 10,000 more standees.
Thrilla In Manila II starring Pacquiao vs Mayweather?
Keep tuned.
