Snuffed out before fully shining

Among better known Cebu-trained pro boxers who had early on displayed ring potentials were Mandauehanon Randy "Komong Bato" Suico and Rodel Mayol, and Boholanon Rey "BoomBoom" Bautista and AJ "Bazooka" Banal.

Starting from then all-around boxer-puncher Rodel Mayol, one by one met their come-uppance from foreign foes… Rodel, for instance, who had switched management, was nipped of his hitherto winning streak by a couple foreign foes. The shocker was that of Randy Suico who was beaten silly by world champ Felix Diaz. The shocker wasn't of the defeat, but of the manner of defeat, exposing Suico's utter lack of defense.

Then followed the "death" of BoomBoom Bautista's pretensions of invulnerability when he later kissed the canvass at the hands of Daniel Ponce de Leon that put BoomBoom to his place as still an "untried" international pugilist.

Then came a "bazooka" so unlike the Banal main weapon that it puffed like a "pop gun" or a bubble gum burst. Banal's fans who were used to his untiring, relentless two-fisted attacks were so deflated to see a hero starting with a bang, but ending in the weakest whimper, to parody Carl Sandburg's famous verse of a strong beginning but with contrasting ending.

Of the Cebu-trained boxers, AJ Banal was the most promising among them and whose name means "holy", that even with the downfall of Rodel Mayol, Randy Suico, and Rey Bautista before reaching the summit, Filipino fans steadfastly kept faith with Banal as the exception. It's no wonder that when he stunningly went down on his knees at the 10th round and, obviously refusing to get up, it was the "death" of Cebuano boxing dreams.

The abbreviated fight was a case of the underdog relentlessly tiring the pre-fight favorite that Banal was. And Banal just wilted gradually without doing anything to counter the one-dimensional frontal attacks of Rafael "El Torito" Concepcion who had barely 13 fights. It was a case of the proverbial castle being rammed at its rampart by the ramrod with no counter tactics to it.

Thus, it was also a case of a perceived champion short in stamina, short in fire power, short in head thinking, and totally short in defense. Such shortages, and more, resulted in the "bazooka" allowing himself to be hit with impunity, and defenseless.

With the frontal crowding charge of Concepcion, all Banal had to do was not to meet them head-on, and not let his foe overwhelm and grab him with one hand and pummeling his body with the other fist with gusto. Instead, at the last second he should have side-stepped either way in such quick lateral movement and, at the same time, hitting Concepcion with an upper cut, a right cross, or a left hook, but never, allowing himself to be embraced and made himself a punching bag for "El Torito". And, that was the whole story of the fight. He lost wind, he lost confidence, he lost his stamina, he lost whatever was found between his ears, if any.

What was also surprising was why Edito Villamor, an experienced boxer and trainer with lessons learned from best trainer Freddie Roach, did not see through it all, without the needed counter moves, It was also apparent that whenever Banal initiated the attack, Concepcion was always at the receiving end. In the same manner that when "El Torito" made the one-dimensional inept charge, all Banal did was to stay put in useless self-defense posture.

Banal being still young, he still has the resiliency to change and make adjustments. One thing basic is that even with the best trainer and best coach, a boxer has to have a thinking head himself and never forget that both offense and defense are equally the prime factors in boxing. Sacrifice one for the other, and you get tagged stupid.

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