Boxing in La Trinidad

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

I motored to La Trinidad, Benguet together with pal and Punch colleague Jun Velasco and Pangasinan provincial consultant Cesar Carpio, both avid boxing fans, and we watched some professional boxing bouts last April 28 at the Cordillera Career Development College gym, some eight kilometers away from Baguio City. (It was my compadre Recah Trinidad of PDI sports who invited us). The battle of the fists dubbed as “Great Fights at the Heights” was promoted by former North Cotabato Governor Manny Piñol in coordination with Raffy Panagan, Brico Santiga and Bert Obidos. The tilt, sanctioned by the Games and Amusement Board, featured eight fights that featured flyweight sensation Edrin Dapudong and super featherweight Rolando Magbanua, both from North Cotabato, against northern Philippines potentials Dondon Jiminea of host La Trinidad and Rene Manlapaz of Lipa City, Batangas. While there, we three managed to have some photo ops with the world’s three-time boxing trainer of the year, Manny Pacquiao’s coach-trainer Freddie Roach. Unfortunately, we were not able to watch the two featured main events as we hurried for home to avoid the thick fog along the Marcos Highway that usually occurs every early evening. The affair was also dubbed “South versus North” with boxers from the provinces of Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Benguet plus Manila coming to tangle against the best in Mindanao. Sadly, we did not have any entry from Pangasinan, perhaps because this is not our sport. Hopefully, the plan of Gov. Amado Espino Jr., with the help of Recah, Pinol, JunV and Cesar, to promote boxing in the province starting in the barangay level pushes through. I believe JunV will explain this in his column. It’s really a brilliant idea.

As expected the Mindanaoans dominated the skirmishes. After the affair, Recah and Pinol proceeded to Singapore to watch the International Boxing Organization world featherweight championship fight between Pinol’s ward Lorenzo Villanueva and world champion David Cino Yordan of Indonesia. Hopefully Villanueva wins.

*      *      *      *

By the time you read this piece, I guess the Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Miguel Cotto World Boxing Association super light middleweight world title fight would be in progress or already finished. According to my own survey among my boxing friends, they want Cotto to win, saying that the cocky and haughty Mayweather should get a lesson for always belittling and ranting against our boxing icon and world pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao. The undefeated streak record of Mayweather (42-0) is on the line and a defeat against Cotto will have a major effect on his potential mega box bout with Pacquiao. Yes, as of this time, he’s unblemished, but he’s not infallible. The two, (Pacquiao and Mayweather) have built up a title fight many times but none pushed through owing to differences over purses, weight limit, venue and blood testing to name a few. After his clash with Cotto, the 35-year old Mayweather is scheduled to serve a 90-day jail term beginning June 1 due to the domestic abuse case filed against him by his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris in 2010. Reports say he will also serve 100 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine. He deserves to be incarcerated because of his almost criminal attitude. I, too, wish that he loses the fight.

In case Cotto wins, I think he ought to have a second clash with Pacman, assuming Pacman wins his encounter with Timothy Bradley on June 9. But if Pacman and Cotto lose their respective battles, that’s a very different story. Bradley will be on the rise.

So let’s go guys and make sure not to miss their fights on television!

*      *      *      *

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her. EPHESIANS5: 22-25

Back to Homepage

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments