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IF Manny
Pacquiao wins his bout against Juan Manuel Marquez this
weekend, March 16 will go down as the most memorable
date in Philippine boxing history.
A win by
Pacquiao will make him the first and only Asian to
capture three world crowns in three different divisions.
Marquez,
34, is set to defend his World Boxing Council (WBC)
super-featherweight crown against Pacquiao at the
Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Also,
Pacquiao will be aiming for the very same title won by
Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, still arguably the greatest
Filipino fighter of all time in and out of the ring.
Incidentally, Elorde won the crown on the very same date
Pacquiao will challenge Marquez Sunday morning (Manila
time). Elorde won the super-featherweight world
championship on March 16, 1960.
Elorde
crowned himself as world junior-lightweight champion
when he demolished American Harold Gomes inside seven
rounds in a bout that inaugurated the famed Araneta
Coliseum, known as “the mecca of Philippine boxing.”
Laura
Elorde, widow of the late great champion, vividly
recalled how Elorde cherished the opportunity of
fighting in front of thousands of Filipinos, even more
than getting a title shot.
“He was
so happy upon learning he will again fight a world
champion but more than anything, he was excited at
getting that chance of giving Filipinos a chance to be
proud of their race,” Elorde said.
Elorde
recalled how her husband felt distressed since losing in
a world featherweight-title bout against the rugged
Sandy Saddler.
“He’s
been hearing comments about him being over the hill. But
he knew he still has a lot more left as Filipino fans
continue to revere him as their favorite fighter,” said
Elorde.
Elorde
lost a 13th-round technical knockout to Saddler on
January 18 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco,
California.
“Since
then, we stayed most of the time abroad to campaign. It
was a struggle because he lost a few fights after his
loss to Saddler,” said Elorde.
After
his debacle to Saddler, Elorde fought 29 more times,
losing seven of them, before getting the opportunity to
fight Gomes.
“He was
always training when we were in the US but he never had
any sparring,” the articulate wife said.
Back-to-back losses by Elorde in May and June 1959 in
Venezuela and Cleveland gave the Filipino legend a
chance to fight Gomes for the world crown because
Gomes’s group surmised Elorde would be an easy prey.
“That
made it easy for the manager of Gomes to accept the
offer of a title defense here in the
Philippines,”
said Elorde.
Elorde,
however, won three more fights after those twin losses
to get the title shot and his date with history as the
best fighter to come out of the Philippines was set.
“He
never put emphasis, really, in fighting or defending his
world crown. It was important to him, but what was
important was how he fought. He made sure he met all the
requirements in conditioning and sparring, regardless of
whether the fight is a major one or not,” added Elorde.
“Outside the ring he was very engaged in building the
chapel in Santa Rita. For my husband, after the fight
you can find him helping build the chapel and the
orphanage school.”
As for
Pacquiao being recognized as the next Flash Elorde,
Laura believes Pacquiao has a career that will give him
a distinct place in boxing history.
“I think
Manny will leave a legacy in his own time. It is
important for all of us that Manny wins his bouts, that
every fight of his is important, especially for our
countrymen. Something that everybody looks forward to
and forget their troubles,” said Elorde.
Meanwhile, Marquez wrapped up his training at the
Romanza Gym in Mexico and will fly to Las Vegas
tomorrow.
Marquez
concluded his training camp in Mexico by sparring two
rounds each with former world super-featherweight
champion Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez and
super-bantamweight prospect Eusebio Osejo.
“I
prepared to win this fight. This will be a very
important fight for me. In our first fight he surprised
me, but only in the opening round. I know he always goes
for a knockout but that he cannot do against me,” said
Marquez in a story that came out with Mexican paper
Esto. |
