T'was a correct but an ugly call

I did not see it with the luxury of an instant replay. Modern technology would have allowed me to freeze, frame by frame, the precise seconds when the visitor broke the rule to deliver the kind of punch that snapped the daylights out of my paisano, AJ Banal. Right, I refused to relive the horrible event even if I am a passionate boxing fan because I knew I would never relish the ugly sight.

What I do remember vividly was that this guy Bazooka, (yes that is his ring monicker), was the dominant boxer. His rising horde of fans, not excluding me, seemed to witness a matador in action. He started his bout that Saturday evening as if he was on a mission. Of course, there was that stigma of his losing steam in the remaining rounds against another foreigner named Torrito and so he got knocked out. Banal was intent not to reprise that incident and so he came in a more controlled game. He was smoking, to borrow a line attributed to Joe Frazier.

Nobody expected the unimaginable end. Or if the crowd anticipated a knockout, it was supposed to be a stoppage of the boxer who had twice been a world champion with our very own fighter standing victorious.

That fateful round, AJ launched a blow that I would like to describe as left over hand. It really was a left straight that was somehow arched because it was designed to hit the jaw of a taller opponent. But the foe probably saw it and in a split second evaded what would have been a ponderous punch. Then, inertia, in the way my high school physics teacher described, set in. For failing to land the haymaker, Banal could not help but lurch forward.

At that precise time, the Nicaraguan Perez uncorked his own blow. I had not seen a shorter punch than that one in the years of my watching the game. Arguably, it was not the heaviest he released that evening. Throughout his storied career, he certainly must have delivered more wicked punches. But because Banal's left over hand missed its mark, his body was on an inevitable free fall such that it multiplied the impact of Perez' counter.

The Filipino was more than stunned. He lost his bearings. His legs were unstable. The mighty hands that appeared to sap the strength of the visitor seconds earlier, seemed to flail aimlessly and, obviously, languidly.

The foreigner saw blood and his great opening. Excited by the sight of a much-dazed foe, he unleashed all he could at the backtracking Pinoy. In rapid-fire motion, the Nicaraguan threw his arsenal. But Banal, maybe on pure instinct, managed to clinch and held on. The nano seconds in that locked situation were very crucial.

Mr. Silvestre Abainza, the referee had to do his job although I thought that he was slowed more by his patriotic fervor than by his age. Coming from behind, he attempted to break the clinch. And as he seemed to succeed, he separated the fighters. It was then that Perez threw an illegal blow. The wicked right cross (it could have also been a hook) of Perez fell Banal like a log. Boxing rules prohibit pugilists from launching blows while the referee was enforcing break. So, the foreigner had to be disqualified. He lost the fight for grossly violating the rules. 

And while indeed the rest is now history, let me recall that the disqualification of Perez was a correct call. He should even be banished from boxing for endangering the life of a fighter.

But let me also insist that it was a most ugly call. The visitor's corner could always claim that the disqualification was made only to save our boy Banal. It would be ugly because they would not look at their infraction of the rule. Instead, they would show the condition of Banal to buttress their claim. Susmaryosep!

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