Thoughts from a nonagenarian

Delfin Gonzalez, 94, is a remarkable man. He was born a poor boy in Baliwag, Bulacan, and went to elementary school in Tondo, learning to survive streetfights with his fists. An altar boy, Gonzalez developed a passion for the sweet science. A brother Joaquin, known as “Iron Jack,” shared his passion and became a pro in 1920 but after a single fight (which he won) without his father’s knowledge, his career was over. His father found out about his ring odyssey and promptly yanked him back to school.

As a boy, Gonzalez sat wide-eyed at ringside during smokers in the old Olympic Stadium on Dorotheo Jose where Mapua now stands.

“I remember watching Pancho Villa’s fight against Clever Sencio in 1925 in Manila,” said Gonzalez. “Villa retained his world title by decision. Manny Pacquiao reminds me of Villa with his speed, power and courage.” Gonzalez earned a law degree at UP in 1938 and practiced for over 40 years. He was the first Filipino executive of Benguet Mining as vice president and legal counsel. For 15 years, he was the moving spirit of the Chamber of Mines.

Gonzalez retired from office work in 1993 and at the age of 91 three years ago, completed his Master of Law studies at San Beda College. He has submitted a first draft of his thesis but when his wife Auring passed away last year, the work stalled.

Gonzalez, who has five children and 16 grandchildren, remains an avid boxing fan. There isn’t a fight on TV he misses. He witnessed the sport develop from the early brawlers in their crudeness to the modern-day fighters with their scientific technique.

“Because of my interest in boxing, I followed closely the careers of the great fighters of the pre-war era from Jack Dempsey to Pancho Villa through newspapers and Pathe newsreels,” said Gonzalez. “Later, as a young man, I took up boxing as a defensive weapon before giving it up for the gentler sport of tennis.”

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I asked Gonzalez what he thinks of Pacquiao’s fight against Oscar dela Hoya in Las Vegas this weekend. His reply came in the form of an essay. He wrote:

“In all honesty, I can’t see how Manny can beat Oscar who is too big, too strong, too smart and too experienced. If I were handling Manny, my game plan would be to survive the 12 rounds without any serious injuries. Losing to Oscar by decision, even unanimous, will not lessen the public’s perception of Manny. And he can fight another day and earn more than the $10 million he is getting in his fight with Oscar.

“How should Manny fight Oscar to survive 12 rounds on his feet? Manny should bob and weave, jab and throw a right occasionally, going under Oscar’s jabs, then stepping away from his hooks. That should be his staple style for the night. Mixing it up with Oscar is a no-no. And he should do some dancing to avoid being caught against the ropes.

“If Oscar catches Manny on the ropes or traps him in a corner, tapos ang boksing. Remember what happened to Mayorga in his fight with Oscar?

“But there is a flaw in my game plan. Can Manny dance away from Oscar’s lethal left hooks and straights the whole night? Remember what Joe Louis said about Billy Conn: ‘He can run but he can’t hide.’

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 “We all want our National Treasure to win but the only way Manny can win is if Oscar suffers a heart attack in the middle of the fight, is shot by some nut in the gallery or takes a dive. All three are out of the question. It is true that in the past smaller fighters have beaten bigger opponents like when Dempsey knocked out Jess Willard and Max Baer did the same to Primo Carnera. But I don’t know of any fight in this era that replicated this feat.

“I’d like to comment on what the self-styled boxing pundits talk on TV about the fight. They insist Oscar will lose because of his age. I totally disagree. I don’t think Oscar’s age of 35 has eroded much of his strength and skills. That might be true of Joe Bloke but not true of the professional athletes whose livelihood requires them to be fit at all times. Oscar has fought the best fighters from featherweight to middleweight in a span of 10 years or so. This, to my mind, proves that Oscar’s physical attributes are different from yours and mine. You call his last fight with Steve Forbes lackluster but he lasted the 12 rounds without suffering any damage. I think it is too early to write off Oscar.”

Gonzalez may be right or wrong. There are many who swear Pacquiao has the speed and savvy to defeat De la Hoya, perhaps not by knockout but on points. We will all know whose crystal ball is bankable after Sunday morning’s blockbuster.