Will the Senate step in?

It’s been a long and excruciating wait for former two-time world boxing champion Luisito Espinosa to find justice in his court case against ex-South Cotabato Gov. Larry De Pedro who owes the retired fighter at least $130,000.

De Pedro signed a promissory note confirming his obligation to pay Espinosa his purse for staking his World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight crown against Carlos Rios in Koronadal in 1997.

At first, Espinosa’s Japanese manager Joe Koizumi refused to allow Espinosa to enter the ring to face Rios because unDer terms of the fight contract, payment had to be maDe beforehand. But De Pedro and his emissaries begged Koizumi to reconsiDer for the sake of millions of fans. Someone even threatened Koizumi that if he wouldn’t budge, he might not leave the city alive.

Finally, Koizumi agreed when De Pedro signed the promissory note.

But alas, De Pedro has not maDe good on his promise — to this day.

Espinosa filed a suit to collect from De Pedro and judge Felicisimo Cabigao was assigned to the case. Two years later, Cabigao retired and the pairing Judge Rosario Cruz inherited the case. Cruz is listed in the Regional Trial Court directory as the presiding judge of Branch 173 in Manila.

Koizumi was the promoter of record and that fact is what De Pedro and his co-Defendants are leaning on to be relieved of their obligation. Everybody knows, however, that De Pedro was the de facto promoter. Koizumi, apparently, "lent" his name to legitimize the promotion because he owned a Games and Amusements Board licence as a promoter and De Pedro didn’t.

Still, the promissory note is concrete proof of De Pedro’s liability — whether or not he is proved to be the promoter.

Poor Espinosa has waited eight years for a resolution of the case and there is no sign of a court ruling any time soon. His wife Marie Cherie has left him in California to work in Las Vegas and their three children were sent home to Manila to live with her mother Lilia. Espinosa, 38, is entertaining comeback plans because he has no other way to make a living. If he fights again, the chances are he could be permanently injured. He relies on the generosity of friends to survive.

The money that De Pedro owes will surely go a long way in alleviating Espinosa’s plight.

Espinosa’s former manager Hermie Rivera says the court case is in a state of suspended animation as the defense lawyers recently filed a motion to disqualify Cruz as the presiding judge because of an alleged bias. They’re asking Cruz to inhibit herself.

"It’s another dilatory tactic," says Rivera. "The defense lawyers actually couldn’t be happier with Cruz because she has sat on the case for six years since taking it over from Cabigao. But this motion will prolong the case again without a decision. It’s now been eight years since Luisito has been denied justice because of the delay. Don’t they pity the guy? He was once a national hero like Manny Pacquiao is now and is this the way to treat a hero?"

Rivera was in Las Vegas for Pacquiao’s rematch against Erik Morales and related Espinosa’s sad story to Sen. Lito Lapid who was also in the city to witness the fight with his son.

"Sen. Lapid promised to call for a Senate inquiry into Luisito’s case," reveals Rivera. "This is one case where we welcome the Senate’s intervention. Luisito needs all the help he can get."

Filipino fighters continued to dominate their Mexican rivals as Cebu businessman Tony Aldeguer’s protégés Z Gorres and Czar Amonsot pounded out impressive decisions at the Mardi Gras ballroom of the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas last Friday night (Saturday morning, Manila).

Gorres scored a unanimous 10-round decision over Jose Alfredo Tirado of Mexico while Amonsot beat a bloodied Cristian Favela in an eight-rounder on points. Judges Bill Graham and Duane Ford scored it 98-91 and Dave Moretti 99-90 for Gorres. Referee Jay Nady deducted a point from Tirado for excessive holding in the seventh round. The scores for Amonsot were 78-73, 77-74 and 77-74.

At the weigh-in on the eve of the fight, Gorres tipped the scales at 116 pounds and Amonsot, 133 1/2.

Michael Koncz, the Canadian lawyer who represents the Filipino fighters in the US, said Gorres was particularly impressive in teaching Tirado a neat boxing lesson.

"Gorres won handily over Tirado," said Aldeguer. "According to (trainer) Freddie (Roach), he has a great future. Amonsot also won convincingly but it was a tough decision over a bigger and heavier Mexican opponent."

Among those at ringside were Aldeguer’s chief lieutenant Sammy Gello-ani, trainer Edito (Ala) Villamor and former Cebu City resident Tony Martin who now lives in Las Vegas with his Filipina wife Yvonne and their four children. Martin arranged the fights with matchmaker Jimmy Montoya of Guilty Boxing Promotions.

The win raised Gorres’ record to 22-1-1, with 12KOs. He is slated to battle Waenptch Chuwatana of Thailand for the vacant Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) superflyweight crown in Mandaue on March 18.

Amonsot, the World Boxing Organization Asia-Pacific superfeatherweight champion, improved his record to 14-1-1, with 10 KOs.

Gorres and Amonsot are arriving in Manila early this morning on a Philippine Airlines flight from Las Vegas.

In other boxing news, OPBF superfeatherweight champion Randy Suico halted Ryuhei Sugita of Japan at 2:39 of the fourth round to retain his crown in Nagoya last Sunday. On the same card, OPBF bantamweight titlist Malcolm Tunacao kept his belt by drawing with Koehi Ohba in a 12-rounder.

Tunacao would’ve won by split decision but Filipino judge Teddy Alivio scored it 115-all. The Australian judge saw it 115-114 for Tunacao and the Japanese judge had it 115-113 for Ohba.

It was reminiscent of an OPBF superflyweight title fight in Inchon in 1985 when Filipino Edel Geronimo lost to Tae Il Chang by split decision when Filipino judge Jose Lansang scored for the Korean. If Lansang saw it for his countryman, Geronimo would’ve won the title. The two other judges were split — one for Geronimo and the other for Chang.