Manny’s natural evolution

International matchmaker Lope (Jun) Sarreal Jr. said yesterday his late brother-in-law Gabriel (Flash) Elorde, who reigned as world superfeatherweight or junior lightweight champion for over seven years, failed in two bids for the 135-pound crown because he was relatively an “older” fighter and faced a much bigger opponent.

Sarreal said the circumstances will be different when Manny Pacquiao attempts to wrest the WBC lightweight title from David Diaz, tentatively on June 28.

Curiously, Elorde was only 28 when as the world 130-pound titlist, he challenged Carlos Ortiz for the lightweight belt at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in 1964. But it wasn’t a new experience for Elorde moving up in weight because as early as 1959, he already scaled 135 in losing a decision to Vicente Rivas in Caracas.

Elorde was an “old” 28 when he entered the ring to face Ortiz with a 69-18-2 record since turning pro in 1951. Pacquiao is now 29 but has figured in only 51 bouts in 13 years as a pro. The similarity is Pacquiao will challenge Diaz as world superfeatherweight titleholder as Elorde was when he engaged Ortiz.

A big difference is Ortiz was a former junior welterweight champion who went down to the lightweight division for a chance to capture a second world crown. So Elorde was matched up against a natural 140-pounder.

“Manny’s still young and his bones are growing,” said Sarreal. “I think at that age, Gabriel was fully matured and his bones had hardened. When he fought Ortiz in a rematch in 1966, Gabriel was 31 so he was even older. I know Manny is finding it more and more difficult to make 130 pounds so maybe, the time has come to move up.”

Sarreal said because Ortiz was naturally bigger, he could take Elorde’s power. In contrast, Elorde couldn’t take Ortiz’ power. Twice, Ortiz stopped Elorde in the 14th round. In their second meeting at Madison Square Garden, Ortiz knocked Elorde out cold and the Filipino lay on the canvas with a foot twitching for several scary seconds before he was revived. When Elorde faced Ortiz in their rematch, he had compiled 104 bouts.

Elorde retired at the age of 36 in 1971 with a record of 88-27-2, with 33 KOs. D’Flash never won more than one world title although he came close to claiming the featherweight crown once.

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Against Diaz, Pacquiao will take on a natural lightweight so it won’t be like Elorde battling Ortiz. Besides, Diaz is certainly no Ortiz, a certified Hall of Famer.

“It’s a good test for Manny,” said Sarreal. “Diaz is a perfect opponent for Manny because he comes in wide open. We’ll see if he can take Manny’s power and if Manny can take his. I think Manny can carry his power to lightweight because his body is naturally evolving. It’s not like he’s forcing his way up. Manny’s power is natural. Bigger opponents may be able to take his power but at the same weight, Manny will be just as strong.”

Sarreal said controlling weight increase is a factor that could determine how a fighter moves in the ring.

“If you’re bloated or blown up, the tendency is you get slow and sluggish,” he continued. “Your reflexes are slower. You really have to listen to your body. Take one of my former fighters, Khaosai Galaxy who was the world superflyweight champion for many years with 19 successful defenses. When not training, he weighed 140. But he got down to 115 for the weigh-in. Thais know how to bring down their weight. They even stand upside down before the weigh-in. I was Galaxy’s business manager so I knew his routine. The remarkable thing was he could adjust his weight because he knew what his body could take.”

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Sarreal said Pacquiao deserved to win over Juan Manuel Marquez in their recent rematch and predicted a third encounter will be set up by promoter Bob Arum.

“There will definitely be a third fight,” said Sarreal. “Arum is a great promoter, no doubt about it, and he knows there’s big money in a third fight. But Manny won’t rush things. He should fight Diaz first, win the lightweight title, make one defense then meet Marquez in a title defense sometime next year. Let Marquez wait. It’s Manny’s time now.”

Sarreal said he bought the closed-circuit rights to the Pacquiao-Marquez rematch for a showing at the Aliw Theater off Roxas Boulevard and charged only P250 a ticket. “The place was packed,” he added. “I didn’t want to charge too much because I just wanted fans to get the chance to watch the fight live. Manny has done so much for Philippine boxing. He has opened doors for other Filipino boxers to earn big money abroad.”

Sarreal said he hopes Pacquiao heeds former WBC secretary-general Rudy Salud’s advice to consult nutritionist Dr. Sanirose Orbeta on how to manage his weight. 

“Now that Manny is moving up to lightweight, all the more he needs the expert advice of a nutritionist who can guide him on how to stay strong and fast fighting bigger opponents,” said Sarreal.

By the way, Dr. Orbeta is the first cousin of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson, one of Pacquiao’s closest friends.

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