Piñol, Hiso tie up for boxing

Three-time North Cotabato Gov. Manny Piñol and Chicago-based former national cyclist Rolando Hiso are joining forces to boost the world title hopes of Mindanao fighters.

Piñol, who was just elected Vice-Governor after completing three terms as Governor, said his Braveheart stable now lists 10 world-class boxers, including three newly crowned WBO Asia-Pacific Youth champions.

Hiso flew in from Chicago to witness the three pugs win their WBO titles in Kidapawan City recently. He said he will sponsor their training in the US.

The three are Glen (The Rock) Porras of M’lang, Edrin (The Sting) Dapudong of Matalam and Glenn (Rapid Fire) Gonzales of M’lang. They swept their assignments in a card billed “Triple Trouble” promoted by Piñol’s brother Soc and Hiso. WBO Asia-Pacific chairman Leon Panoncillo supervised the championship bouts.

Porras, 21, scored a unanimous 10-round decision over Indonesia’s Marangin Marbun to win the WBO Asia-Pacific Youth interim bantamweight diadem. Dapudong, 21, stopped Thailand’s Sakmane Sithchaleaw at 2:46 of the second round to capture the WBO Asia-Pacific Youth minimumweight belt. Gonzales, 21, halted Indonesia’s Boydo Simajuntak at 2:03 of the first round to claim the WBO Asia Pacific Youth interim featherweight title.

Porras raised his record to 11-2, with 6 KOs while Dapudong improved to 11-1, with 5 KOs, and Gonzales to 6-0-1, with 3 KOs. 

Piñol said the three are products of a province-wide grassroots boxing program. With Hiso’s connections, Piñol said he’s hoping the boxers will get a break in the US market.

Hiso represented the country abroad thrice as a cyclist. At the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, he was an entry in the road race but two days before the competition, suffered an injury in training and cancelled out. He was also on the national team that participated at the 1969 Asian Championships in Seoul and the 1974 World Championships in Montreal. 

From 1993 to 1998, Hiso was the manager of the national cycling team. He gave Victor Espiritu a $4,500 Italian-made Colnago extra-light bike to win the bronze medal in the 200-kilometer road race at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.

Hiso, who has lived in Chicago the last 37 years with wife Florita and their two children, said even as he is now involved in boxing, cycling remains close to his heart. He is supporting 14-year-old US junior women’s cyclocross and road champion Coryn Rivera, a US-born prodigy whose parents are both Filipinos. 

Rivera is now training at the US Olympic center in Colorado Springs and will compete in the Junior World Championships this year.  Her father is from Tondo and mother from Tuguegarao. The Riveras live in Tustin, California.

“One of our 1984 Olympic cyclists Deogracias Asuncion, who lives in Los Angeles, contacted me in Chicago and told me about Coryn,” said Hiso. “I’ve watched her compete. I’m really impressed. She won six gold medals in her age-group at the US Open last year. There’s no doubt she’ll win medals for the Philippines in cycling. She’s not only an outstanding cyclist but also a straight-A student. She’ll bring honor to our country.”

Hiso, a US Post Office employee, never fails to attend US major boxing cards involving Filipinos. He is a ringside regular in Manny Pacquiao’s bouts and once gifted Pacman with an expensive Lacoste sweat suit. 

“I wasn’t able to win a medal for our country as a cyclist,” said Hiso. “Now, my dream is to help other Filipino athletes achieve what I failed to do. If I can be of help to any Filipino athlete aspiring for world honors, I’m available. My whole family is behind me in supporting world-class Filipino athletes.”