Six world champs feted in Elorde Awards

MANILA, Philippines - Six world champions in five weight divisions, led by WBO welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao, will be the major honorees in the 10th Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Memorial Boxing Awards – Banquet of Champions slated March 25 at the Harbour Tent of the Sofitel Hotel.

To be honored in the awards rites held this year in memory of the 25th death anniversary and 75th birth anniversary of Da Flash are Donnie Nietes (WBO strawweight), Brian Viloria (IBF light flyweight), Nonito Donaire (IBF flyweight), Marvin Sonsona (WBO Oriental and WBO flyweight) and Gerry Peñalosa (WBO bantamweight).

Nietes, 28, defended his title for the second time last year by scoring a unanimous decision over Erik Ramirez on Feb. 28. In his third defense, Nietes won by split decision over interim champion Manuel Vargas on Sept. 12.

Viloria, 29, won a unanimous decision over Mexican Ulises Solis on April 19. He retained the title with a unanimous decision over Jesus Iribe on Aug. 29.

Donaire made his title defense by stopping Raul Martinez in 2:42 of the fourth round also on April 19. The impressive victory gave him the ranking as the No. 7 best pound for pound boxer by Ring Magazine.

He stopped Mruti Mthalane in a mandatory rematch on Aug. 1.

Sonsona won over Jose Lopez via a unanimous decision on Sept. 5 to become the youngest world champion at 20.

His reign, however, was also the shortest – two months and17 days – when he failed to meet the weight limit against Alejandro Hernandez. The bout ended in a split draw but he lost the crown under WBO rules.

Peñalosa, the comeback kid, was the WBO bantamweight titleholder at age 37 before he fought Juan Manuel Lopez on April 25. He was beaten by Lopez via TKO when Freddie Roach stopped the fight before the 10th round began.

He was stripped of his title in April when he failed to defend it within one year.

Pacquiao, who wrested the WBO welterweight title last year with a TKO win over Miguel Cotto, leads the awardees as Boxer of the Decade.

The boxing awards, to be presented by Johnny Elorde Management International and the Elorde Sports Foundation in cooperation with Pagcor, Smart, Tanduay, Sofitel Hotel, Elorde Gym’s & Southpaw Bar and Grill will also take on a special significance since a half century ago, Elorde started his seven-year reign as junior lightweight champion – the longest by any boxer. He stopped Harold Gomes on March 16, 1960 at the Big Dome.

After his seventh round stoppage of Gomes, Elorde retained the crown in 10 straight title defenses. He knocked out Gomes in the first round of his first title defense (Aug. 17, 1960), won over Joey Lopez (March 16, 1961), Sergio Caprari (Dec. 16, 1961), Auburn Copeland (June 23, 1962), Johnny Bizzaro (Feb, 16, 1963), Love Allotey (Nov. 16, 1963), Teruo Kosaka (July 27, 1964 and June 5, 1965), Suh Kang Il (Dec. 6, 1965) and Vicente Dorado (Oct. 22, 1966) He won two more non-title bouts before he lost the crown in a 15-round decision to Yoshiaki Numata on June 15, 1967 in Tokyo.