Suico in Limbo

The country's boxing fans were stunned as they watched with horror how Randy Suico was thoroughly outclassed by WBA lightweight champion Juan Diaz in a ninth round TKO loss last week. While Suico put up a gallant stand in absorbing Diaz's punches and never went down, he was really never in the fight and was turned into a mere punching bag.

To those of us (and all those boxing fans) who have followed Randy's career, it was a sorry sight that we never imagined would happen. Was that the Randy Suico at whom we marveled when he was baptized as a "Golden Boy" and "Komo'ng Bato" ? Was that the Randy Suico who bulldozed through all his wins, albeit against a bunch of no-names? What happened on top of that Las Vegas ring on July 15?

Like all other Suico fans, I couldn't believe how Suico's defense was so absent that Diaz could've landed punches even if he was blindfolded. And I'm not exaggerating! I was also surprised not to see the lateral movement and use of the entire ring to play the boxing game against a shorter opponent. With the way the fight was fought, they didn't need a 20-square foot ring at all. A phone booth would've been ok since Suico didn't even bother to try to stay away from Diaz. Aside from having hands of stone, it looked like Suico also had feet of stone that weighed down his mobility. He was flat-footed and slow. And worse of all, he went in with a game plan of turning the fight into a brawl.

But did Team Suico even have a game plan? Did they scout Diaz through tapes of his previous fights? Did they know what they were getting into? I'll insist on using the term "they" since Suico's manager Joe Koizumi and trainer Juanito Ablaca have the bigger responsibility and burden of explaining why they let Suico fight this way. And they're also answerable to the rising questions on why Suico's career seems to have hit major hump and doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

This is Suico's major dilemma. Suico was being touted as one of the country's best prospects for a world championship and Koizumi had set high goals for the only Pinoy boxer under his care. The problem is that while the goals and dreams of a world title were, this wasn't backed up with the activities needed to reach these goals. While the intention to manage Suico's career is genuine, I just wish this included major steps to make him a better boxer.

This is where I feel sorry for Suico. He's such a mild-mannered and soft-spoken person who always obeys whatever Koizumi and Ablaca ask him to do. This includes beating up mismatched foes on the way to winning an OPBF championship and defending this several times. But while demolishing all his foes on this side of the globe and looking "good," Suico has ironically become a boxer whose real value has become stagnant. Sure, his value as a boxer is up there on paper, but this can be credited more to the connections of Koizumi and Teiken Boxing of the influential Akihiko Honda.

Case in point is that he's scheduled to fight for the vacant OPBF lightweight championship in October against a Thai boxer who he'll most likely get rid of in less than five rounds. Is this the kind of fight Suico needs if he really wants to win a world championship? Another mismatch? Is this a logical next step action for a world title prospect with the goal of becoming a better boxer?

Shouldn't Team Suico be busy with "sharpening the saw"? Isn't the latest development in local boxing evident on Team Suico? With the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista, Z Gorres and Bobby Pacquiao and a host of others seeking to become better boxers by going to the U.S., isn't Koizumi even contemplating such a career move? Or is he confident that training in Cebu and Japan are enough to convert Suico into a world champ?

For the record, Suico is still very much a prospect for a world crown who has all the tools needed to win it all: a stiff left jab, power in both hands, shiftiness in moving around the ring and a decent defense that can still be improved (obvious ba?). And it isn't the end of the road of a career either. But timing is of the essence and his management must make a major career move if they are serious in going for that world title.

If Team Suico doesn't do anything about this, it's going to be a simple case of Suico in limbo.

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Time-out: Congratulations to Red Tag for taking that bold move of producing and covering the CESAFI basketball tournament for TV. They deserve all the praises and support from the local sports world. >>> For comments, you can reach us at [email protected] or http://bleachertalk.blogspot.com