Tuñacao heads Elorde awardees

Former World Boxing Council flyweight champion Malcolm Tunacao, who until his loss recently was the country’s only reigning world champion in 2000, heads a cast of champions who will be honored in the "Banquet of Champions" in the first Gabriel "Flash" Elorde Boxing Awards to be held March 25 at the Manila Hotel.

In a year Gerry Peñalosa and Manny Pacquiao were stalled in their title bids, Tuñacao became the country’s only world champion towards the end of 2000 to lead last year’s champions who will be feted in special awards ceremonies at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Manila Hotel.

The Elorde Boxing Awards, the first and most prestigious award for professional boxers in the Philippines, will be given by the Elorde family during the birth anniversary of the late world junior lightweight champion, who is enshrined in the International Hall of Fame as one of the world’s greatest boxers of all time.

Johnny Elorde, son of Da Flash, said the awards, given for the first time, will be an annual undertaking to honor the past year’s world, international and Philippine titlehoders as well as the top referees, trainers/seconds, best fights and best knockouts.

The other Philippine champions:

Miniflyweight Ernesto Rubillar, lightflyweights Lolito Laroa (January to February), Eugene Gonzales (March to June) and Jovan Presbitero (July to December), flyweights Rolando "Flash" Murillo (May to July) and Melvin Magramo (August to December), superflyweight Joel Avila, bantamweights Ricky Gayamo (January to December), and Abner Cordero (October to December); superbantamweight Dino Olivetti, featherweight Baby Lorona, Jr., superfeatherweight Randy Suico, lightweights Joselito Rivera (January to July) and Dennis Laurente (August to December), superlightweight Dindo Castañares (December), welterweight Rev Santillan and superwelterweight Jerry Balagbagan.