In the Fistorama tradition

Last week, I had a heckuva good time covering a 66-round "Fistorama" card promoted by Boy Cantada at the Cantada Sports Center in Bicutan. I joined Ed Picson and Zacarias (Taby) Tabaniag on the panel that worked the fights for TV.

Taby and Boy’s late brother Joe–that’s right, the legendary Smokin’ Joe–hosted "Fistorama" on TV for over 25 years. The show was Taby’s baby and it spawned the likes of world champions Roberto Cruz, Erbito Salavarria, and Pedro Adigue. When the great Flash Elorde died in 1985 and "Fistorama" made its curtain call, Taby left boxing for golf.

But the lure of the Sweet Science called Taby, now 83, back to the fight game this year when Boy decided to revive "Fistorama." It didn’t seem like a good idea at the time. Three weekly boxing shows had just folded up. Only "In This Corner" remained on the air. Boy, however, was determined to make a fight of it.

There was something about the "Fistorama" tradition that inspired Boy to bring it back to life. Of course, Taby had to be in the equation to complete the picture. And because Smokin’ Joe loved the sport with a passion, Boy decided to make the Cantada Sports Center the show’s permanent home.

When Taby got sick a month ago because of something that he ate, Boy asked if I could fill in. Sure thing, I said. I enjoyed my first "Fistorama" experience. The fights were exciting. The place was packed. And the action was furious from start to finish. You couldn’t ask anything more from a boxing show. But my second "Fistorama" appearance last week was something else.

The first fight ended in just 39 seconds as minimumweight prospect Florante Gondez made short work of Romel Engracia. A shot to the midsection did it. Referee Gil Co hardly worked up a sweat. Engracia, who fell to his second straight loss, will probably look for another way to make a living.

Then came a lightflyweight bout between winless Don Don Salado and unbeaten Jojo Pateno. On paper, it looked like a one-sided fight. Salado hadn’t won in three outings and Pateno hadn’t lost in two. But Pateno lacked the intensity to overshadow the hard-working Salado who scored a unanimous four-round decision. Pateno, who appeared to box in slow-motion, couldn’t believe the decision. Salado finally broke into the win column.

In the third fight, Danny Pena outpointed Carlo Agrabio despite fighting with only one shoe in the last two rounds. This was one for the books. In the first round, the sole on Pena’s left shoe came loose. Pena’s cornermen frantically taped the sole to the shoe in between rounds but it wouldn’t stick. Finally, Pena answered the bell for round three with just his right shoe. The fans howled as Pena tried to keep his balance and fought Agrabia toe-to-shoe. Should he have fought completely barefoot instead? Despite the handicap, Pena deserved the unanimous decision.

Then, a balding 25-year-old jumping jack Alex Tapas battled Rey Amon in a superflyweight bout. Tapas bounced up and down on his toes, trying to confuse Amon. Without his feet planted on the canvas, Tapas was a sitting duck for a knockout. Sure enough, in the second round, a short right hook sent Tapas down on the canvas. His head hit the floor with a thud and ringside physician Dr. Nasser Cruz had to administer oxygen to bring him back to his senses. When Tapas got up, he started shadow-boxing and shuffling his feet. Then someone told him the fight was over.

Dodie Agrabio followed with a four-round decision over Jerson Dansel who was castigated by cornerman Emil Romano for refusing to stick to the fight plan. Dansel was all alone in the ring when announcer Tony Comia declared Agrabio the winner. Romano had left the corner in disgust.

Jack Asis wasn’t even looking at Edward Javier when a wayward right connected flush on the jaw as he posted a first round knockout in a four-round superfeatherweight contest. It was as much a surprise for Javier as it was for Asis.

In a grudge rematch, flyweight Eric Rapada made it two split decisions in a row over Junel Canahap in a sixer. Ramon Flores had it 56-55 and Nestor Olivetti, 57-55, for Rapada while Alex Villacampa scored it 56-44 for Canahap in the close contest. Rapada was slapped a pair of point deductions for holding and Canahap was penalized once for an accidental headbutt. Will there be a third meeting?

Lightflyweight Glenn (The Filipino Bomber) Donaire raised his record to 9-1, with seven KOs, as he blasted veteran Ben Albanez into submission at 2:14 of the first round. A shot to the solar plexus left Albanez gasping for air. Pretty round girls at ringside cheered the good-looking Donaire lustily. Donaire, 22, is a hot prospect and a future world contender.

Donaire’s younger brother Nonito Jr., 19, had difficulty disposing of another veteran Mark Sales and settled for a unanimous eight-round decision. Nonito said his injured left hand still hadn’t healed completely and he hurt his right in the second round but managed to outbox Sales with ease. Late in the eighth, Sales went down from a blow to the midsection but survived the count. Nonito improved his record to 6-1, with four KOs. Both Donaires train at the Cantada gym.

In a tenner, pint-sized lightflyweight Roger Mananquil came from behind to knock out an exhausted Rene Banares at 1:05 of the fifth round with a single shot to the body. The reversal earned Mananquil and Banares an extra P3,000 apiece from Boy for figuring in the night’s most thrilling bout.

Finally, No. 1 lightflyweight Rodel Quilaton scored a ninth round technical decision over Alex Guevarra in the main event. Quilaton is scheduled to challenge Philippine 108-pound champion Wyndel Janiola at the Cantada Sports Center next month.

What made the coverage more interesting was the banter from witty Ed and eloquent Taby. The action in the ring made it so much easier for the panel to cover the fights. In all, the show featured five knockouts, three in the first round. There was a fighter who won wearing one shoe, a fighter who scored a knockout not looking at his target, a fighter who had everything to lose in beating an opponent who had everything to gain, a toy bulldog of a fighter who came back from a lackluster start to score a knockout with a single punch, and a pair of brothers who look like they’re the future of Philippine boxing.

Some kind of show, only in the tradition of "Fistorama."