THE MOMENT he walks inside the Elorde Sports Center boxing gym in Para?aque at one in the afternoon, the well-built young man could probably be mistaken as one of countless lads who work out there daily.
“Good afternoon, Boss Bai,” said a short but stocky fellow who turns out to be a professional fighter.
Bai is Juan Martin Elorde, the grandson of the late-great world junior-lightweight king Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, who makes his pro debut on Feb. 24 in Cebu on a slambang card being put by the ALABoxing Club of Tony Aldeguer and Sammy Gelloani in partnership with Oscar dela Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
While he was not encouraged to enter the pro ranks by his parents, Johnny and Liza Elorde, Bai used to be a member of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) training pool and is a contemprary of 2006 Asian Games bantamweight gold medalist Joan Tipon.
“It’s my decision to turn pro because I would like to become known just like my lolo (Flash Elorde) and Manny Pacquiao,” said Bai just before working out last Wednesday under the watchful eyes of his father.
Just like The Flash, Bai, who will fight in the superfeatherweight division, the weight class where his grandfather made a name in the 60s, is a southpaw.
“He has good fundamentals because he came from the amateur ranks,” said Johnny, who not only captured a gold medal in the 1979 Sea Games, but saw action for the country in the World Cup held the following year in New York.
“Ang kailangan na lang ay dagdagan ang skills kasi nandiyan na ang basics,” added Johnny, who manages a stable of pro punchers, who regularly strut their stuff in Asia, Australia and South Africa.
An HRM graduate from St. Benilde, Bai swears he’s never been in a fight either at school or on the streets.
“Hindi naman ako pala-away,” said Bai, who was two months old when The Flash passed away due to lung cancer on Jan. 2, 1985.
But on the night of Feb. 24, Bai will have his hands full because not only are his folks and the highly-discriminating crowd watching, The Flash will also be on hand – somewhere – to see if the little Bai can live up to his esteemed surname.
