More on Taby

Zacarias (Taby) Tabaniag, the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) Rules Committee head who was known as a boxing guru before leaving the ring for the greens over 15 years ago, says Manny Pacquiao could become one of the country’s all-time greats if he works on his combinations.

"He’s got the heart of a champion," notes Taby. "But he lacks combinations. His left is terrific but what about his right?"

Taby, who hardly has enough hours in a day to focus on anything else but golf, says he managed to watch Pacquiao stop Lehlo Ledwaba for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) superbantamweight crown on TV last June. Taby was impressed, particularly as Pacquiao made mincemeat of the South African – touted to be among the world’s best pound-for-pound beakbusters until he ran into the General Santos City demolition expert.

Recalling his days in boxing, Taby singles out 1950s campaigners King Tut and Tommy Romulo as two of the top Filipino fighters who never became a world champion. Although Tut never fought for a world championship, he sparred with Manuel Ortiz when the bamtamweight titlist came to Manila to face Tirso del Rosario. Taby says the late Flash Elorde once confessed that no fighter ever hit him harder than Romulo.

Taby says Elorde’s trainer Cely Villanueva, the 1936 Olympic bronze medallist whose son Anthony brought back a silver from the 1964 Tokyo Games, used to gauge a fighter’s condition by the way he sweat. If the sweat was oily, it meant the fighter was in shape. If the sweat was sporadic, it meant the fighter was undertrained or burned out.

As for the notorious Besa Boxing Arena scales, Taby admits there was often tampering in the "old" days. A wad of chewing gum was stuck somewhere on the scales to keep a fighter’s weight down. Is it true that when Elorde weighed in for a junior lightweight title defense, the Besa scales were used because he could never make the 130-pound limit? Taby just smiles.

It’s a fact, says Taby, that a fighter can put on as many as 10 pounds after a weigh-in by taking a soft-boiled egg and gulping down a glass of tea. That’s if the fighter had to drastically reduce his weight and has outgrown his division.

So Carlos Ortiz must have outweighed Elorde by at least 10 pounds in their two fights because the Puerto Rican was a junior welterweight who went down to lightweight while D’Flash was a junior lightweight who went up to lightweight. No wonder, adds Taby, Ortiz proved too strong for Elorde who lost twice by a 14th round knockout to the former world junior welterweight and lightweight titleholder.

Taby says Roberto Cruz, a "Fistorama" discovery, lacked the courage to stand up to challenger Eddie Perkins in his first and only defense of the world junior welterweight crown at the Rizal Baseball Stadium in 1963. "Cruz got clipped by a vicious left hook in the first round – that was it," recounts Taby. "Cruz never hit Perkins and ran the entire fight. (Games and Amusements Board Chairman Jun) Montano screamed at ringside for Cruz to throw a punch. But he never did." Cruz lost a 15-round decision.

Taby says Cruz’ father Juanito, a policeman, ruined his son’s career when he became too ambitious and took over management control from the Araneta group.

From experience, Taby says Pampango fighters are courageous – they’ll never surrender even if they’re taking a severe beating – and Visayan fighters are sturdy – laki sa mais, he used to comment on "Fistorama."

Taby says it was former President Marcos who made him realize that boxing wasn’t for him. They fought in intramural boxing at the University of the Philippines where both studied law. Marcos knocked out Taby with a left hook. But in intramural baseball, Taby got back at Marcos by striking him out. Taby later transferred to the University of Santo Tomas and pitched the varsity to its first-ever UAAP baseball title in 1940.

Taby, who’s working on a coffee table book on Philippine golf, wrote the script for the movie "The Flash Elorde Story" and never fails to submit his column on golf thrice a week in the Manila Standard.

When I met Taby at Boy Cantada’s home in Dasmariñas Village last Saturday, one of the hosts was Rodrigo (Porky) Cantada – the late Smokin’ Joe’s only son. Porky, 19, has grown to be as handsome as his father. He’s a second year Communications Arts student at the Ateneo. Porky works out in the gym every other day – which explains his well-sculpted, 220-pound physique. He was on the Ateneo track team (shotput and discus), used to ride religiously (he’s selling his horse), and is now into shooting.

Will he become a sportscaster like his famous father? So far, Porky says he hasn’t gotten interested in sportscasting. But who knows? He’s taking up a related course in school and sooner or later, we might see the emergence of another Joe Cantada – after all, it’s in the blood.