Pinoys score in WBC meet

The Philippines attended the recent World Boxing Council (WBC) convention in Pattaya, Thailand, in full force last week. The Filipino delegates were Games and Amusements Board (GAB) chairman Eduardo Villanueva, GAB commissioner Angel Bautista, GAB boxing chief Noli Flores, GB physician Dr. Nasser Cruz, ex-GAB chairman and WBC Asia legal counsel Dominador Cepeda, former WBC secretary general Rudy Salud, lawyer Butch Cleofe, international matchmaker Jun Sarreal, boxing analyst Moy Lainez, gym owner Lito Mondejar, Rex (Wakee) Salud, Leonel Lazarito, boxing announcer Ted Lerner, and ring officials Bruce McTavish, Virgilio Garcia, Vic Rodriguez, Alex Villacampa, Capt. Ramon Flores, and Rudy Dalisay.

Believe it or not, the Philippines had a larger delegation than host Thailand.

While the convention allowed for a lot of partying, it wasn’t strictly a junket.

Rudy Salud, for instance, flew in to seek redress for the injustice committed by referee Larry O’Connell on Gerry Peñalosa in failing to penalize Masamori Tokuyama for repeated headbutting in their WBC superflyweight title fight last September. Salud succeeded in getting a commitment from WBC president Jose Sulaiman to reinstate Peñalosa as a mandatory challenger within nine months on condition he wins his next two bouts.

Noli Flores was immersed in long hours of deliberations as member of the 14-man WBC ratings committee headed by Frank Quill of Australia. Flores and Edward Thangarajah, a Sri Lankan now living in Thailand, are the only Asians in the powerful committee. Flores took up the cudgels for Filipino fighters and reported significant strides. There are now 26 Filipinos rated in the WBC’s top 30 ratings and 11 in the top 10.

The 11 in the top 10 are (minimumweight, 105-pound limit) No. 2 Ernesto Rubillar, No. 5 Noel Tunacao, No. 7 Joma Gamboa, and No. 8 Eriberto Gijon; (lightflyweight, 108-pound limit) No. 2 Juanito Rubillar, (flyweight, 112-pound limit) No. 5 Randy Mangubat; (superflyweight, 115-pound limit) No. 2 Gerry Peñalosa and No. 6 Malcolm Tunacao; (bantamweight, 118-pound limit) No. 6 Jess Maca; and (superfeatherweight, 130-pound limit) No. 4 Tiger Ari and No. 5 Randy Suico.

McTavish spoke before some 200 delegates on officiating. He was part of a six-man expert panel that discussed the finer points of judging a fight. The panel was headed by Tom Kaczmarek. Other panelists were Arthur Mercante, Sr., Laurence Cole, Malcolm Bulner, and John Keane. The delegates were made to score a round each from 10 different fights shown on a monitor. The panelists explained their scoring and compared notes with the delegates on the floor.

Dr. Cruz was the only Asian and one of six WBC-appointed doctors who lectured on medical care in boxing. Dr. Cruz participated in the deliberations that resulted in the six-month suspension of WBC events in Indonesia because of the rash of ring-related deaths in the country. Five Indonesian fighters were killed due to boxing injuries in the last 17 months.

Cepeda, whose trip was paid for by the WBC and not by the GAB, also contributed to the discussions leading to the Indonesian suspension.

Bautista said the WBC plans to establish a boxing school in Asia and the Philippines is a strong contender to be the host. He noted that the Elorde gym in Sucat and the Cantada complex in Bicutan could be used for this purpose. Bautista added that Sulaiman is pushing for more measures to improve safety standards in boxing.

"The WBC’s main concern is safety," said Bautista. "The reason for suspending Indonesia is to deliver the message to the world that the WBC will not accept any country which has failed to create safety measures for the boxers." He said Sulaiman was furious when it was reported that two Indonesians suffering from hepatitis were cleared by local boxing authorities to fight overseas.

Flores said two Filipinos figured in a pair of Asian Boxing Council (ABC) title fights held during the convention. Too bad they both lost. Former World Boxing Federation (WBF) titlist Rolando Toyogon was outpointed by defending ABC minimumweight champion Sarikalek Sor Ekarin while ABC lightflyweight king Sod Skindiew survived a knockdown to pound out a disputed verdict over Jun Magsipoc.

McTavish said Villanueva, the newly-designated GAB chairman, was introduced to WBC bigwigs and created a positive impression for the Philippines.

Incidentally, McTavish was a judge in the recent Tirso Albia-Sayan Sanchat fight in Novosibirsk, Siberia. It took 36 hours for McTavish, Albia and Cebu-based English trainer Tony Martin to make the trip to Siberia. The long haul included a horrific 11-hour stop in a Moscow domestic airport.

Albia, who pocketed a $3,500 purse, was a disgrace in the bout. The country’s No. 1 lightweight hardly threw a punch – McTavish counted about seven up to the third round when Albia turned his back in surrender. McTavish said Albia didn’t throw a single blow in the entire first round. Albia fell on one knee for an 8-count early in the third then walked back to his corner in a shameful display of cowardice. It didn’t look like Albia was hurt, only disinterested.

It wasn’t because of the cold although McTavish said the fight was held in an ice hockey rink and the temperature was 8 degrees below zero outside. "I made sure Albia was warm," he related. "We got there three days before the fight. He had a comfortable hotel room with a heater. He was provided a thick warm-up jacket. Before the fight, he was loose and sweating. I think he was just scared. There were about 4,000 Russian fans watching and the referee was a former Russian heavyweight. His purse should have been withheld."

Upon returning to Cebu where he lives, it was rumored that Albia was released by his manager Peter McNeely on Martin’s recommendation.

Albia has an attitude problem. He reacts negatively to criticism probably because of a complex–Albia is cross-eyed and often the butt of cruel jokes. But that shouldn’t be a reason for the GAB to hold back its punches. The GAB should investigate Albia’s disgraceful showing in Siberia and if the fighter fails to come up with a reasonable explanation for his poor performance, he should be sanctioned.