Brother act

Fighting brothers Dennis and Pedrito Laurente of Leyte are in the history books as the only siblings to reign as Orient and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) champions at the same time.

Dennis, 26, outpointed Yosuke Otsuka to capture the vacant OPBF lightweight crown in Nagoya two years ago. In his second defense at the Casino Filipino Amphitheater in Parañaque last Wednesday, Dennis was held to a split 12-round draw by No. 1 contender Fernando (Boy) Montilla. He’s ranked No. 12 by the World Boxing Council (WBC). Dennis’ record is 22-4-3, with 11 KOs.

Dennis used to be ranked No. 8 by the WBC but was stricken off the top 10 list last month. Manager Johnny Elorde said he will protest the demotion to the WBC particularly as before battling Montilla, Dennis scored four straight wins in Indonesia over Atmat Mandar, Andreas Seran, Joe DeRicardo and Hengky Tobias.

Elorde said his Jakarta friend Eddy Pirrih takes care of Dennis when he campaigns in Indonesia, taking in two fights over a two to three-week period on each trip. Indonesia is Dennis’ favorite hunting grounds because his trainer Mario Lumacad speaks Bahaha and lived several years in Surabaya tutoring local fighters.

Probably because he hadn’t fought in six months, Dennis was outboxed by Montilla in the early going. The ring rust was evident. Scoring referee Bruce McTavish said Montilla repeatedly landed double right jabs on Dennis who got off to a poor start. But as the fight wore on, Dennis found his range and pulled off a fiery finish to keep his crown. McTavish said both fighters were in excellent physical condition and gave the fans their money’s worth.

"It was probably the best fight I’ve seen this year," noted McTavish. "I don’t usually score even rounds but I had no choice in the seventh because it would’ve been unfair to pick one over the other as neither took a clear edge–it was that close."

McTavish scored it 115-114 for Montilla, cheered at ringside by sparmate and International Boxing Federation (IBF) superbantamweight titlist Manny Pacquiao. Capt. Ramon Flores saw it 117-111 for Laurente, raising eyebrows because of the wide margin. Flores’ scorecard listed only three rounds won by Montilla, compared to six in McTavish’s sheet. Alex Villacampa had it 115-all with five rounds each for Dennis and Montilla and two even.

For Dennis to break back into the top 10 and stand in line for a shot at the WBC title, now held by Floyd Mayweather, he’s got to be more active and score convincing wins. A rematch with Montilla is in order. If Dennis can’t even dispose of Montilla, it’s difficult to imagine him dethroning Mayweather. Montilla hadn’t fought since December last year and was coming off three losses in his last five bouts before taking on Dennis.

Two years ago, Dennis’ career took a plunge after he lost back-to-back decisions to Prawet Singwangchai of Thailand and Ferdinando Andriano of Indonesia. But the slump turned out to be a blessing in disguise. With two straight defeats, Dennis was considered by Japanese matchmakers to be an easy opponent for Otsuka in their bout for the vacant OPBF crown. Dennis seized the opportunity of a lifetime to shock Otsuka and run away with the title.

Early in his pro career, Dennis wasn’t as resilient. After losing to Ramy Dumpa and Ulysses Puzon in 1994, he took a three-year layoff to regroup. He worked in a candy factory in Butuan City and in a farm in Leyte before joining Johnny Elorde’s camp to revive his fistic career in 1998. Dennis hasn’t looked back since.

Elorde said he’s confident that Dennis, who lives with Jane Janairo and their two-year-old daughter Leslie in Parañaque, will someday win a world title.

Pedrito, 22, has had his share of ups and downs, too. He lost to Aldo Alivio in his pro debut in 1999, racked up six straight wins then was stopped by Joel Bauya. Pedrito came back to post three wins in a row but bowed to Sod Luknongyantoy and Poolsawat Kratingdaeng Gym in a pair of Bangkok outings. He regained some ground in halting Jack Siayaha and holding Dicky Franciscus to a technical draw in back-to-back Jakarta assignments then knocked out Danny Barzaga in Sucat. Pedrito suffered another disappointment when he lost to Jimrex Jaca on points in a bid for the Philippine superbantamweight title last March. A win over Flash Murillo set up his match against Manabu Fukushima for the OPBF 122-pound title in Tokyo last week.

Fukushima, 29, is no slouch. He once fought Oscar Larios for the WBC superbantamweight title and his list of knockout victims includes Filipinos

Arnel Barotillo, Reynante Jamili, Bong Arlos, Jaime Barcelona and Arman Molina. But Pedrito, bucking a cut on his left eyebrow in the seventh round, left no doubt in whipping Fukushima decisively on scores of 115-114, 117-113, and 116-112. The triumph raised Pedrito’s record to 13-5-1, with four KOs.

In boxing annals, only 14 pairs of brothers ascended the throne to claim world championships. Two pairs were Filipinos–Dodie Boy and Gerry Peñalosa and Noel and Malcolm Tuñacao. The other tandems were Abe and Monte Attell, Joe and Vince Dundee, Ricardo and Rene Arredondo, Gaby and Orlando Canizales, Donald and Bruce Curry, Ernesto and Crisanto Espana, Khaosai and Khaokor Galaxy, Terry and Orlin Norris, Rafael and Gabe Ruelas, Leon and Mike Spinks, Pitchit and Pitchitnoi Sithbangprachan and Erik and Diego Morales.

Boxing historian Bert Blewett, in his book "The A to Z of World Boxing," said only five siblings held world titles simultaneously–the Attells, Currys, Galaxys, Norrises and Ruelases.

Today, there are several Filipino brothers campaigning for ring glory. Manny Pacquiao’s younger brother Bobby is the Philippine superfeatherweight champion. Other sibling pairs are Rey and Larry Pelonia, Felix and Fabio Marfa, Rey and Rodel Orais, Glenn and Nonito Donaire, Eric and Jaime Barcelona, Felipe and Ronnie Longakit, and many more.

The Laurente brothers–Dennis and Pedrito–are a rarity in that they’re both OPBF champions, reigning at the same time.