A SUNDAY IN THE HISTORY
OF PHILIPPINE BOXING
PROLOGUE
The temperature outside was typical yet the air seemed to have retired somewhere. Despite inside an air-conditioned living room, the heat appeared intense - most likely from the radiation constantly detonating from my very own spirit….
It was a very different Sunday morning … my heart throbbed inconsistently. Although full of joyful expectations, I was worried, uneasy and excited, in other terms. With the strange ambiance, I knew vehicular traffic in the entire archipelago had been immobilized to a standstill. Malls, markets and streets; all deserted. I imagined my friends and buddies were likewise glued to their seats – this time no leisurely activities in Mactan white beaches. At home, no telephone calls from the outside world. Invitations no matter how tempting were neither allowed nor accepted, in other words, no disturbance please…, at least for the moment.
I skipped the Sunday morning mass and breakfast was not part of my intentions. I was hungry, yet I didn’t feel like eating. Chilled canned beers or a series of ice-cold whisky waiting to be engulfed seemed more appealing. Just as I wanted to be powered, I wanted to talk and chatter lengthily but I was in a sense, alone. I didn’t have any audience as my wife busied herself somewhere, doing something else – as if distancing from me in a different zeal. Of course, that’s understandable. But she must have noticed that early in the day, a 2000 lumens multi-media projector had been hooked up with the boob tube with 1200 watts powered mixer with speakers reverberating decibels ready to herald in full might the event of the day! Something I don’t normally do. Then she knew it was THE WORLD CUP IN BOXING…
I texted my good old reliable fellow electrical engineer buddy in my hometown in Northern Mindanao to confirm if he was collaborating with me in my fray. “Shoot! Botchoy Gorres is our town-mate and everybody in Nasipit is rooting & praying for him!” Hehehe… soothing, with his reply, at least I had a cohort.
THE WORLD CUP UNFOLDING
The second edition of the so-called “World Cup in Boxing” this time between the Philippines and Mexico had slowly been unfolding on the big screen in front of me. The WAR happening in The Arco Arena in Sacramento, California was the ‘moment of truth’ much more in magnitude than the Cebu episode in a recent past.
To recall, the first World Cup in Boxing was Mexico vs. Thailand where Mexico in utter domination scored 5-1, in a near sweep! This time, it’s war between the Philippines and Mexico. “Go Philippines!”, “Mahal ko ang Pilipinas!” as the battle cry goes. What else could make a Filipino like me and you quiver? “Four–Two” for the Philippines will be great. By then we would be the Champion Team!
Unfortunately or fortunately, my home DSL was down. PLDT promised to come but I knew they couldn’t, probably not until the war was over. In previous occasions, I had always been ahead round by round – texting advance information to my fellow electrical engineers hours earlier than any TV transmission – all courtesy of the Internet. This time, I had to make do of ABS-CBN. But as the event went by, even with the annoying commercials, the more electrifying it became. As I came to realize, in times like this; no internet, the better.
THE MOMENTS OF TRUTH
The first TV scene saw Korina Sanchez announcing a 2–0 score for the Philippines as Michael Domingo and Dado Gabi gloriously won over their respective opponents by UD. By not showing the two earlier bouts deprived me of the two parts of the menu. The video synopses that followed only increased the urgent appetite for more action.
I realized that fighting for the country brought along the national pride within me. The feeling of being a Filipino touched me – reminding me despite the personal frustrations on the political misadventures in the country, boxing indeed is one avenue to the “Pagkakaisa sa Sambayanang Pilipino” - as every soft-core or hard-core politician loves to utter, Manny Pacquiao, included. Later, the sight of our “kababayans” pitted with the macho mexicano warriors made my pulse beat faster. I wished I could not see disturbing moments...
The moment of truth had begun but with a different emotion from the “Moment of Truth” episode in Cebu last December and the recent Penalosa-De Leon combat. Those two occasions were falsehoods! Whether or not these falsehoods could be changed in Sacramento is something worthy to be anxious of. We have just witnessed the lapses of our very own Rodel Mayol in the attempt to grab the championship off Ulyses Solis. And who can forget Czar Amonsot battling the Australian Michael Katsidis in a bloody episode?
But Dado and Michael had already done their shares. This time I prayed for Boom-Boom, Gerry, Botchoy (my townmate in Nasipit Agusan) and AJ Banal – that all of them would make it! Two more to go… Lord God, please give the Philippines , a break…
Then came the Bazooka (14-0-1, 11 KO’s) on screen. The first round was so good for AJ that it signaled the texture of the entire bout. Indeed, with AJ controlling the fight, an explosive counter right hook to the chin in the third canto sent the Mexican foe into submission, badly dislocating his ankle in the process. The verdict: KO! The Mexican Jorge Cardenas never got up from that bazooka explosion. Score: 3 - 0! Fine… One more and we would be the Champion Team!
It’s now Z’s turn! Coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Fernando Montiel, Z Gorres (27-2-1, 15 KO’s) was never the same again, style-wise. In a complete turn-around, the “Dream” of the past literally became a charging “Tiger” fearlessly dishing out incessant but accurate offensive jab-straight combos that were joys to watch. In my book, with the IBF Junior Bantamweight Intercontinental Title at stake, Botchoy practically swept all seven rounds (70– 63) until the end came in Round 8 when the ring physician stopped the bout. It was a TKO score for the diminutive guy from Nasipit (who was later raised in Mandaue), as Botchoy then sealed the destiny of the tourney. The Philippines won by a wide margin, 4– 0, this time so far shutting out the Mexicans, Erik Ortiz (26-7-1, 17 KOs), the former WBC Junior Flyweight Champion, included.
WE (THE PHILIPPINES) ARE NOW THE CHAMPION! The emotions were high! The crowd in the Arco Arena roared. The entire archipelago soared! I could hear the screams of my neighbors, synchronizing with mine. In a normally quiet neighborhood, shouting at the top of one’s voice is taboo. This time however, it’s excused.
In a swift transition, Gerry Penalosa (52-6-2, 35 KO’s) became the center stage on screen. Although Gerry took the first round, I was fearful of the match-up. The champion, Jhonny Gonzales (34-6, 29 KO’s) and 10 years younger, had too much height and reach. And he is no push-over! It can be remembered that Jhonny twice floored Israel Vasquez (who just TKO’d Rafael Marquez last week) and was leading in the early stages of their own championship encounter when Vasquez turned the tide in a classic fight.
Against Gerry, Jhonny looked good – even better than Ponce de Leon’s last fight with Gerry. With the champion executing dutifully & beautifully a game plan of maintaining distance with cycles of stinging combinations kept him away from Gerry’s stalkings. Gerry in the next rounds found Gonzales difficult to penetrate. The scary moments had come…
After six rounds my score card showed 59-55, in favor of Gonzales. Alarmed, I could only think that being a wily veteran was Gerry's only advantage. It would be hard task for Gerry who had peaked somewhere in the ‘90s to win this one. Noticing more commercials than the Gorres’ stretch, it came to my senses that the bout must have been an abbreviated one. Would it turn-out Gerry being KO’ed? The thought frightened me. Sorry, I told myself to stop scoring the bout. At the instance, I suddenly felt unbearable hunger. I found myself in the kitchen looking for food.
But then in a shocking moment, the 35-year-old veteran Gerry Penalosa badly behind on points suddenly unleashed a perfectly timed rib-cracking bomb to the liver that sent the champion to the the floor grimacing in pain. As the count of ten elapsed, verdict: KNOCK-OUT! Hey guys, we had a new world champion! And Gerry is a World Champion again! I could then feel that the cheering and celebrating in all over the 7000 islands of the Philippines could have caused Philvocs panic when the Richter Scale must had been activated!
Score: 5-0, as the Philippines’ sweep continues at the Arco Arena in Sacramento !
THE MAIN EVENT
Just as fickle as everybody else, the ‘standard’ changed. The ‘desired condition’ amended. At this point in time, the 4–2 objective was scrapped. I suddenly felt: GO 6 -0 SWEEP! WHY NOT? WE HAVE FAITH IN BOOM BOOM!
The main event saw Mexico salvaging some face when WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (32-1, 29 KO’s) crushed our undefeated Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista in the very first round. After coming off a lackluster decision win over Penalosa, De Leon was all business redeeming himself to the Filipinos as he came out throwing bombs from the start. A combination that was punctuated by a right hand to the chin sent Bautista down. Another flurry of big punches easily sent Bautista to the canvass for the second time as the referee stopped the fight preventing any more damage.
THE AFTERMATH
All of a sudden I forgot my ecstasy as I agonized and bled for the young man. The menacing "Raramuri Warrior" was too much test to the kid. Knowing that Rey came from Candijay, Bohol, he could have been my relative. I apologize for my fickleness. A Five-One performance is already beyond expectations. I should have not asked for more.
The rest is now history. Boom Boom will bounce back. I’m quite sure of that. Wait until his full-grown manhood. And remember, he is a Filipino!
The temperature outside was typical yet the air seemed to have retired somewhere. Despite inside an air-conditioned living room, the heat appeared intense - most likely from the radiation constantly detonating from my very own spirit….
It was a very different Sunday morning … my heart throbbed inconsistently. Although full of joyful expectations, I was worried, uneasy and excited, in other terms. With the strange ambiance, I knew vehicular traffic in the entire archipelago had been immobilized to a standstill. Malls, markets and streets; all deserted. I imagined my friends and buddies were likewise glued to their seats – this time no leisurely activities in Mactan white beaches. At home, no telephone calls from the outside world. Invitations no matter how tempting were neither allowed nor accepted, in other words, no disturbance please…, at least for the moment.
I skipped the Sunday morning mass and breakfast was not part of my intentions. I was hungry, yet I didn’t feel like eating. Chilled canned beers or a series of ice-cold whisky waiting to be engulfed seemed more appealing. Just as I wanted to be powered, I wanted to talk and chatter lengthily but I was in a sense, alone. I didn’t have any audience as my wife busied herself somewhere, doing something else – as if distancing from me in a different zeal. Of course, that’s understandable. But she must have noticed that early in the day, a 2000 lumens multi-media projector had been hooked up with the boob tube with 1200 watts powered mixer with speakers reverberating decibels ready to herald in full might the event of the day! Something I don’t normally do. Then she knew it was THE WORLD CUP IN BOXING…
I texted my good old reliable fellow electrical engineer buddy in my hometown in Northern Mindanao to confirm if he was collaborating with me in my fray. “Shoot! Botchoy Gorres is our town-mate and everybody in Nasipit is rooting & praying for him!” Hehehe… soothing, with his reply, at least I had a cohort.
THE WORLD CUP UNFOLDING
The second edition of the so-called “World Cup in Boxing” this time between the Philippines and Mexico had slowly been unfolding on the big screen in front of me. The WAR happening in The Arco Arena in Sacramento, California was the ‘moment of truth’ much more in magnitude than the Cebu episode in a recent past.
To recall, the first World Cup in Boxing was Mexico vs. Thailand where Mexico in utter domination scored 5-1, in a near sweep! This time, it’s war between the Philippines and Mexico. “Go Philippines!”, “Mahal ko ang Pilipinas!” as the battle cry goes. What else could make a Filipino like me and you quiver? “Four–Two” for the Philippines will be great. By then we would be the Champion Team!
Unfortunately or fortunately, my home DSL was down. PLDT promised to come but I knew they couldn’t, probably not until the war was over. In previous occasions, I had always been ahead round by round – texting advance information to my fellow electrical engineers hours earlier than any TV transmission – all courtesy of the Internet. This time, I had to make do of ABS-CBN. But as the event went by, even with the annoying commercials, the more electrifying it became. As I came to realize, in times like this; no internet, the better.
THE MOMENTS OF TRUTH
The first TV scene saw Korina Sanchez announcing a 2–0 score for the Philippines as Michael Domingo and Dado Gabi gloriously won over their respective opponents by UD. By not showing the two earlier bouts deprived me of the two parts of the menu. The video synopses that followed only increased the urgent appetite for more action.
I realized that fighting for the country brought along the national pride within me. The feeling of being a Filipino touched me – reminding me despite the personal frustrations on the political misadventures in the country, boxing indeed is one avenue to the “Pagkakaisa sa Sambayanang Pilipino” - as every soft-core or hard-core politician loves to utter, Manny Pacquiao, included. Later, the sight of our “kababayans” pitted with the macho mexicano warriors made my pulse beat faster. I wished I could not see disturbing moments...
The moment of truth had begun but with a different emotion from the “Moment of Truth” episode in Cebu last December and the recent Penalosa-De Leon combat. Those two occasions were falsehoods! Whether or not these falsehoods could be changed in Sacramento is something worthy to be anxious of. We have just witnessed the lapses of our very own Rodel Mayol in the attempt to grab the championship off Ulyses Solis. And who can forget Czar Amonsot battling the Australian Michael Katsidis in a bloody episode?
But Dado and Michael had already done their shares. This time I prayed for Boom-Boom, Gerry, Botchoy (my townmate in Nasipit Agusan) and AJ Banal – that all of them would make it! Two more to go… Lord God, please give the Philippines , a break…
Then came the Bazooka (14-0-1, 11 KO’s) on screen. The first round was so good for AJ that it signaled the texture of the entire bout. Indeed, with AJ controlling the fight, an explosive counter right hook to the chin in the third canto sent the Mexican foe into submission, badly dislocating his ankle in the process. The verdict: KO! The Mexican Jorge Cardenas never got up from that bazooka explosion. Score: 3 - 0! Fine… One more and we would be the Champion Team!
It’s now Z’s turn! Coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Fernando Montiel, Z Gorres (27-2-1, 15 KO’s) was never the same again, style-wise. In a complete turn-around, the “Dream” of the past literally became a charging “Tiger” fearlessly dishing out incessant but accurate offensive jab-straight combos that were joys to watch. In my book, with the IBF Junior Bantamweight Intercontinental Title at stake, Botchoy practically swept all seven rounds (70– 63) until the end came in Round 8 when the ring physician stopped the bout. It was a TKO score for the diminutive guy from Nasipit (who was later raised in Mandaue), as Botchoy then sealed the destiny of the tourney. The Philippines won by a wide margin, 4– 0, this time so far shutting out the Mexicans, Erik Ortiz (26-7-1, 17 KOs), the former WBC Junior Flyweight Champion, included.
WE (THE PHILIPPINES) ARE NOW THE CHAMPION! The emotions were high! The crowd in the Arco Arena roared. The entire archipelago soared! I could hear the screams of my neighbors, synchronizing with mine. In a normally quiet neighborhood, shouting at the top of one’s voice is taboo. This time however, it’s excused.
In a swift transition, Gerry Penalosa (52-6-2, 35 KO’s) became the center stage on screen. Although Gerry took the first round, I was fearful of the match-up. The champion, Jhonny Gonzales (34-6, 29 KO’s) and 10 years younger, had too much height and reach. And he is no push-over! It can be remembered that Jhonny twice floored Israel Vasquez (who just TKO’d Rafael Marquez last week) and was leading in the early stages of their own championship encounter when Vasquez turned the tide in a classic fight.
Against Gerry, Jhonny looked good – even better than Ponce de Leon’s last fight with Gerry. With the champion executing dutifully & beautifully a game plan of maintaining distance with cycles of stinging combinations kept him away from Gerry’s stalkings. Gerry in the next rounds found Gonzales difficult to penetrate. The scary moments had come…
After six rounds my score card showed 59-55, in favor of Gonzales. Alarmed, I could only think that being a wily veteran was Gerry's only advantage. It would be hard task for Gerry who had peaked somewhere in the ‘90s to win this one. Noticing more commercials than the Gorres’ stretch, it came to my senses that the bout must have been an abbreviated one. Would it turn-out Gerry being KO’ed? The thought frightened me. Sorry, I told myself to stop scoring the bout. At the instance, I suddenly felt unbearable hunger. I found myself in the kitchen looking for food.
But then in a shocking moment, the 35-year-old veteran Gerry Penalosa badly behind on points suddenly unleashed a perfectly timed rib-cracking bomb to the liver that sent the champion to the the floor grimacing in pain. As the count of ten elapsed, verdict: KNOCK-OUT! Hey guys, we had a new world champion! And Gerry is a World Champion again! I could then feel that the cheering and celebrating in all over the 7000 islands of the Philippines could have caused Philvocs panic when the Richter Scale must had been activated!
Score: 5-0, as the Philippines’ sweep continues at the Arco Arena in Sacramento !
THE MAIN EVENT
Just as fickle as everybody else, the ‘standard’ changed. The ‘desired condition’ amended. At this point in time, the 4–2 objective was scrapped. I suddenly felt: GO 6 -0 SWEEP! WHY NOT? WE HAVE FAITH IN BOOM BOOM!
The main event saw Mexico salvaging some face when WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (32-1, 29 KO’s) crushed our undefeated Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista in the very first round. After coming off a lackluster decision win over Penalosa, De Leon was all business redeeming himself to the Filipinos as he came out throwing bombs from the start. A combination that was punctuated by a right hand to the chin sent Bautista down. Another flurry of big punches easily sent Bautista to the canvass for the second time as the referee stopped the fight preventing any more damage.
THE AFTERMATH
All of a sudden I forgot my ecstasy as I agonized and bled for the young man. The menacing "Raramuri Warrior" was too much test to the kid. Knowing that Rey came from Candijay, Bohol, he could have been my relative. I apologize for my fickleness. A Five-One performance is already beyond expectations. I should have not asked for more.
The rest is now history. Boom Boom will bounce back. I’m quite sure of that. Wait until his full-grown manhood. And remember, he is a Filipino!
Doods A. Amora, PEE
(August 12, 2007)
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