Tonight, Randy “Kumong Bato” Suico tries to get his sputtering career back on the haymaker highway by fighting Thailander Pongpetch Chuwatana for the vacant OPBF lightweight diadem.
I intend to be there to show support to one of my favorite local boxers. Three years ago, at the Lapu-Lapu City Sports Complex, courtesy of an assist from my good friend and reigning, undisputed, WFW (word-for word), lord of the metaphors, Homer Sayson, this columnist was among the expectant throng who witnessed how Randy Suico nearly decapitated Indonesian Ibrahim Arobi in the 8th round with a right hand from hell.
As fate would have it, I was lucky enough to chance upon Randy and his entourage having dinner at a local watering hole after the fight. Inebriated and emboldened by the countless bottles of sinfully cold beer that I slurped, I summoned enough courage to approach Randy and asked him about the fight.
Randy admitted that he had some difficulty at first in adjusting to the Indonesian’s style, but that he eventually solved the puzzle and delivered the coup de grace.
Looking back on that eventful night, I was utterly crestfallen that Randy failed to exhibit the same savvy ring wisdom when he fought Juan Diaz last July for the WBA lightweight crown.
The “Baby Bull” peppered Randy with an assortment of punches from the get-go and the latter, bewildered by the unrelenting display of aggression, did more covering up than punching. On the few occasions that Randy let his hands go, he looked pitifully slow and ineffective.
While I have no doubt that Randy deserves his ring moniker, I wished he moved like his legs weren’t made of stone either.
Against a world-class boxer of Diaz’s caliber, Randy was exposed as a one-dimensional, plodding puncher.
Roberto Duran, the original “Manos de Piedra” (Hands of Stone) may have been the best lightweight in recent history. He won the lightweight title at age 21 and defended it 12 times before moving up to welterweight to upset Sugar Ray Leonard. He terrorized his opponents with a deadly hybrid of relentless punching and crafty movement. He was also tenacious, ruthless, and his punches had a vicious snarl to them.
Randy could certainly take a page out of Duran’s book and commence a new chapter starting with tonight’s fight.
Chuwatana carries a record of nine wins and 14 losses. While this writer agrees that Randy needs to re-establish a good rhythm before going back to the big dance (read: fight a patsy first), this opponent will not be a decent test or gauge to showcase his improvement. Randy needs to learn more dance steps than the pitifully slow cha-cha he has been accustomed to.
Fight autopsy. The fight between Darchinyan and Glen Donaire turned out to be a one-sided beat-down, and it ended on a sour note, make that a broken note. Glen suffered a broken jaw and had to quit in the 5th round. The referee incorrectly took Glen’s word for it and proceeded to declare the injury to have been caused by a head-butt.
Vic Darchinyan has filed a protest and demands justice. Apparently, the cocky, knockout-conscious Armenian doesn’t want to be robbed of a KO win on his ledger. (Note to Glen: Next time you’re up against an undefeated murderous puncher, the better strategy is to box his ears off, not wing punches with him, otherwise, your jaw might fall of.)
The Casamayor-Corrales tiff was a dud. Diego’s weight problems and Casamayor’s evasive tactics robbed us of a war, but as this column predicted, Casamayor’s left hand was the big difference in what turned out to be a close, tactical battle.
JAB OF THE WEEK. “When I hit him with an uppercut and he wobbled, I told him to come here, don’t go down yet.” (Vic Darchinyan describing how he wanted to put on a good show in his fight against Glen Donaire)
THE LAST ROUND. This week’s last round is on the Barangay Captains of Dapa, Surigao del Norte, who are in town to attend their annual convention. Welcome to Cebu and marajaw na pag estrar! ([email protected])
