THIRTY THREE Filipino great boxing fighters, including Hall of Famers Pancho Villa and Gabriel “Flash” Elorde and the country?s newest icon Manny Pacquiao, will be honored tonight during Gala Night of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) First Philippine Boxing Convention at the New Hyatt Hotel along Pedro Gil St. in Ermita.
President Gloria Arroyo, herself a rabid boxing fan, will be the guest of honor in the affair which gathered the virtual Who?s Who in the sport which is the first in the 55-year history of GAB. The event starts at 7 p.m.
Villa, Francisco Guilledo in real life, will be cited for reigning the world flyweight division from June 18, 1923 to July 4, 1925. He also took the honor as the first Filipino and Asian fighter, for that matter, to win a world crown and be elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame, a recognition bestowed upon him in 1961 or 36 years after his death.
Elorde, on the other hand, was the second Filipino boxer to be elevated to the Hall of Fame after lording over the popular world lightweight division for seven years ? the longest reign by a boxer in their division.
Ceferino Garcia is the least known among the pre-war heroes but he left a legacy too big for his size.
Aside from popularizing the so-called “bolo punch,” Garcia also distinguished himself as the boxer to have ruined the bid of American Henry Armstrong to become history?s only four-weight world champion when they battled to a draw in a fight in Los Angeles where the former?s middleweight title was at stake.
Armstrong was then holding the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight crowns all at the same time and had he won, he could have edged legendary Sugar Ray Robinson as the “Boxer of the Century” at the close of the last millenium.
Pacquiao will be honored with the “Boxer of the Year” award for his sensational knockout win over Mexican Erik Morales early this year, while and Boom Boom Bautista gets the Most Improved Pro Boxer award. Rodel Mayol is GAB?s Most Promising Boxer awardee.
Aside from Villa, Elorde and Garcia, also to be given posthumous awards are former world junior welterweight titleholders Roberto Cruz and Pedro Adigue and ex-flyweight champs Small Montano (Benjamin Gan) and Little Dado (Eleveterio Zapanta).
Relatives of the departed heroes, according to GAB chairman Eric Buhain, the man behind the affair, have been invited to receive the awards.
Other past and present champions to be feted are Bernabe Villacampo, Rene Barrientos, Ben Villaflor, Rolando Navarette, Frank Cedeno, Bobby Hernandez, Dodie Boy Penalosa, Rolando Bohol, Tacy Macalos, Eric Chavez, Rolando Pascua, Manny Melchor, Morris East, Luisito Espinosa, Ronnie Magramo, William Magahin, Rico Siodora, Malcolm Tunacao, Jeoma Gamboa, Joselito Rivera, Orlando Villaflor, Gerry Penalosa, Rolando Tuyugon, Eric Jamili and Erbito Salavaria.
Former GAB chairmen, Luis Tabuena (posthumous), the man largely credited for bringing to the country the 1975 Ali-Frazier world heavyweight championship bout known as Thrilla in Manila, Justiniano Montano Jr., founding father of the World Boxing council (posthumous), and Dominador Cepedo Jr., will also be given recognition plaques along with Rodrigo Salud and Gov. Raul Daza,
Also to be cited are Olympic silver medallists Anthony Villanueva and Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco and bronze medallists Jose “Cely” Villanueva (posthumous), Leopoldo Serrantes and Ruel Velasco.
