Boxers top bets for ‘Hall’ enshrinement

MANILA, Philippines — Boxers Leopoldo Serantes, Roel Velasco and Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco are in line to make the next batch of athletes to be enshrined to the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame.

They could well be the next inductees as the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame (PSHOF) Review Committee, in an online meeting a few days ago, adopted a new resolution approving the automatic nomination of Olympic medalists.

PSHOF and Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez said this is to ensure that they are honored and will never be forgotten.

There are a total of 10 Olympic medal winners but only five – swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso, high jumper Simeon Toribio, hurdler Miguel White, and pugs Jose Villanueva and Anthony Villanueva – have been enshrined to the PSHOF.

Yldefonso copped two Olympic medals, one in 1928 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and the other in 1932 in Los Angeles, United States.

The new rule should make Serantes and the Velasco brothers top candidates for the next PSHOF rites.

“Achieving a medal from the most prestigious Games in history is something worth recognizing for a lifetime. They deserve it even without the process of someone voluntarily proving it for them,” said Ramirez.

Serantes snared a bronze in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, Roel a bronze in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain, Mansueto a silver in 1996 in Atlanta, USA.

Hidilyn Diaz won a silver in 2016 in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. But she’s not eligible for the cut for the next enshrinement.

Since its establishment via Republic Act No. 8757, the PSHOF has inducted a total of 37 Hall of Famers in three batches – 10 in 2010, 17 in 2016 and 10 in 2018.

Yldefonso, Toribio, White and the Villanuevas were part of the first batch that also included boxers Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Pancho Villa, Ceferino Garcia, cager Carlos “Caloy” Loyzaga and the 1954 Philippine men’s basketball team that he led.

Leading the inductees in the second and third batches were chess’ Eugene Torre, athletics’ Mona Sulaiman, tennis’ Johnny Jose, bowler Paeng Nepomuceno, athletics’ Lydia de Vega-Mercado and baseball/softball’s Filomeno “Boy” Codiñera.