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Manny
Pacquiao achieved another first Tuesday night after he
became the only Filipino enshrined into the Flash Elorde
Annual Awards at the Manila Hotel.
Pacquiao
received his huge trophy from President Arroyo, who
graced the resplendent affair that honors top Filipino
boxers of the past year.
Pacquiao
was awarded his seventh Boxer of the Year honor, the
number of awards that will qualify one into the Hall of
Fame. Seven represents the number of years Elorde
defended his world junior-lightweight crown in the
1960s.
MANNY PACQUIAO has another
accolade tucked under his belt, a massive Hall of Fame
trophy presented here by President Arroyo, Games and
Amusement Board chairman Eric Buhain and Johnny Elorde,
son of boxing great Flash Elorde, whose birthday is
celebrated by his family through the annual Elorde
Boxing Awards.
“It’s an
honor for me to get this recognition but, more than
that, Elorde serves as my inspiration in winning that
lightweight crown, which he tried to win for our
country. That will be my goal,” Pacquiao told the
BusinessMirror.
The
President, in her speech, disclosed that Pacquiao once
told him about the Filipino boxing idol’s fond memories
of fighting under the Elorde banner earlier in his
career.
Interestingly, Pacquiao was late for the affair. He
arrived at the Manila Hotel minutes after the
President’s speech. He was accompanied by his wife
Jinkee and his usual large entourage.
Pacquiao
shared the limelight with five other Filipino world
champions—International Boxing Federation (IBF)
minimumweight champion Florante Condes, World Boxing
Organization (WBO) 105-lb ruler Donnie Nietes, WBO
bantamweight kingpin Gerry Peñalosa and IBF flyweight
holder Nonito Donaire Jr.
Another
major awardee, Cebu businessman Antonio Aldeguer of the
famed ALA Gym, was credited for producing nearly a dozen
regional champions that include AJ “Bazooka” Banal
(Youth and Intercontinental), Z Gorres (IBF
Intercontinental), Czar Amonsot (Asia-Pacific), Milan
Milendo (Asia-Pacific), Mark Jason Melliguen
(Asia-Pacific) and Robert Allanic (Asia-Pacific).
Other
major recipients include referees Ferdinand Estrella and
Sylvestre Abainza, and former world champion Luisito
Espinosa, who flew from the United States to personally
receive his trophy.
Pacquiao,
29, is coming off a close 12-round split verdict win
over Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez two weeks ago at
the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. The win gave
Pacquiao his third world title, the World Boxing Council
(WBC) super-featherweight crown, which also earned the
Filipino boxing sensation the distinction of being the
first-ever Asian to win three crowns in as many
divisions.
Pacquiao
is eyeing a shot at the WBC lightweight crown currently
owned by Mexican-American David Diaz, a fight penciled
by the Filipino’s American promoter Top Rank Inc. on
June 28.
Meanwhile, another potential Pacquiao foe, the
undefeated knockout artist Edwin Valero of Venezuela, is
a step closer in realizing his dream of facing the
Filipino sensation.
Valero,
the World Boxing Association super-featherweight holder
with a record of 23-0 with 23 knockouts, including 19
first-round stoppages, has been cleared to fight in the
state of
Texas.
Valero’s
application for a
Texas
boxing license was recently approved by the Department
of Licensing and Regulation, which governs all boxing
matters that take place in
Texas.
Valero
reportedly had to pass a battery of physical and
neurological exams in order to satisfy the state
regulators and medical specialists.
The
Venezuelan knockout artist was banned to fight by the
New York State Athletic Commission four years ago after
medical tests supposedly revealed a crack in his skull
because of a motorcycle accident.
In
February 2001, Valero, who was not wearing a helmet at
the time of the accident, fractured his skull and had
surgery to remove a cranial blood clot.
Fresh
from entering a deal with GBP, Valero was scheduled to
appear on HBO’s Boxing After Dark, but failed an MRI due
to brain-scan irregularities in New York. |
