By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

We watched the world bantamweight title tussle between our countryman John Riel Casimero against Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux on TV last Sunday, August 15, where the Ormoc City, Leyte-born Casimero successfully defended his WBO (World Boxing Organization) 118 pounds tiara via split decision, 117-111, 116-112, 113-115. Yes, we also saw how the Cuban defector to U.S. Rigondeaux avoided the killer punches of the Filipino fighter by orchestrating a run-and-run strategy that produced jeers and hisses from the paying eyewitnesses and television viewers that unexpectedly prompted disparaging remarks from the world elite sports connoisseurs.

I cannot blame them.

Like them, I’m also a keen observer and I describe the boxing event as the lousiest world title clash that I ever saw in my life. Yes, it’s the first world title boxing snafu that should not be forgotten. As a challenger, Rigo expected to set the pace, but out of the blue, it was the other way around. Titleholder Casimero dictated the tempo for the whole 12 rounds and what Rigo mostly did was just to run and run after throwing jabs and limited big blows. I guess that was the main reason why the two ring judges were convinced to score broadly for the Filipino fighter, 117-111 and 116-112. It was also the reason why the third round knockout promised by Casimero never happened.

My friend retired Police Colonel Pat Piñol who once served as chief of police of Urdaneta City and the younger brother of ex-Secretary of Agriculture and former Cotabato governor Manny Piñol, texted me immediately after the fight and jokingly said, “Rigondeaux should have competed in the steeplechase event in the just concluded 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and could have won the gold medal.”

I texted him back. “The 42 kilometers Olympic marathon should be Rigo’s best suited sport being a good runner, and not a professional boxer.”

Rigo (as called by media), is a two-time Olympic boxing gold medalist in bantamweight division (2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens) and twice gold medalist in world championships (2001 Belfast, Ireland, 2005 Mianyang, China) in the same division. But I believe what he did last Sunday was a disgraceful performance in boxing. I don’t know if there’s any boxing promoter he can find to take him for a new world title attempt. Let’s wait and see.

*          *          *          *

I’m making this piece on August 19 and I guess by the time you read this article, the much-awaited and much-publicized World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight title battle between our very own world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Yordenis Ugas of Cuba is already over. Ugas unexpectedly replaced World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titlist Errol Spence, Jr. because of eye retina injury of the latter during his training. Hopefully our aging but world’s only eight-division champion Pacman could still pull the trigger to win convincingly against the defending champion Ugas. The WBA stripped Pacman’s welterweight belt for being inactive for almost two years. I don’t know the WBA rule anent this matter, but what I believe is that a boxing world title should only be won inside the ring and not by just appointing a boxer from the rank of top contenders.

Let’s just watch the fight to solve the conflict.

*          *          *          *

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “And you will hear of wars, and rumors of wars. See that you are troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places. MATTHEW 24: 6-7

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments