EDITORS DESK
Ramon Bonilla
The Philippines was once a boxing mecca, a mass producer of pugs whose rags to riches stories became the blueprint for the young and feisty. For decades, Filipino boxers seemed to have followed the path of the old greats, the same route that is from the slums to the steps of stardom.
Yet, an opposite to the tradition of owning world titles — straps that shine so brightly up in the ring—the country was left with no champion as of late.
A disgrace? Certainly not. Lost of glory? Not quite.
For a small country that has the biggest of hearts, our boxers — trained to be warriors and gifted with wits and power — will beat the count of 10.
Mark Magsayo was advertised as the next poster boy of Philippine boxing — his presence alone was reminiscent of Manny Pacquiao, the People's Champ.
But he was beaten. Against Rey Vargas, a tall, agile, and accurate Mexican whose long limbs could easily intimidate his foes, Magsayo was simply outclassed and handed a split decision loss in Texas on June 10. The last Filipino champion surrendered his World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight belt.
Then came Wednesday night. Across the Pacific in Tokyo, Donnie Nietes, the pride of Murcia, Negros Occidental, locked his eyes for a redeeming victory, a salvation of sorts at 40, or perhaps to relieve the thirst for a boxing crown that is equivalent to a country's pride back home.
After 12 rounds, Nietes bowed to the superiority of Japanese star Kazuto Ioko through a unanimous decision loss, failing to reclaim the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior bantamweight belt he once possessed to his collection of four weight class titles.
It was a string of miseries that stretches back from February when Jerwin Ancajas dropped his International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight belt after a stunning defeat to Fernando Martinez of Argentina.
John Riel Casimero got stripped of his WBO bantamweight title after a series of alleged misconducts in May, while WBC bantamweight king Nonito Donaire suffered a quick beatdown from another Japanese icon Naoya Inoue to yield his throne last month. Just a week before Magsayo's setback, Rene Cuarto absorbed a split decision loss to Daniel Valladares to give up his IBF minimumweight belt.
Truly, the measurement of success in professional boxing would be the straps on the waist — some making it an exclusive club, like Pacquiao dominating eight divisions through his colorful career.
But, as the famous line goes, hope springs eternal, so does the new breed of champions that this boxing-loving nation will produce and adore in the near future. Like basketball to the American giants, sprinters to Jamaica, and football to Europe, boxing is a brand almost synonymous to the Philippines.
The golden belts, the money, and fame serve their purpose as one's status in the years of throwing punches, getting rammed in the ring, and sometimes on the unfortunate end of the bloody sport. We were there. We’ve had it all.
This is just not our time.
(Ramon Rafael C. Bonilla is the head of Sports section of Manila Bulletin.)