Angeles Jimenez: Bukidnon’s Boxing Patriarch

The father, the son, and boxing

Angeles Jimenez, 86, and father of renowned boxing coach Joven Jimenez was hooked on boxing when he was still into teaching many years ago. He even went to far-flung barrios and walked for kilometers just to watch local boxing matches in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.

When asked how he would describe Joven, the boxing coach, he said, “He’s okay. I love him. A loving child but a bit hard-headed.” He said that he never doubted his son that he would be a coach for the great world champion in Jerwin Ancajas. Before Joven became a coach, he was an amateur boxer during his elementary years.

Habituated totally to the sport, Tatay Angeles, now a widower, was into boxing promotion and spearheaded boxing events way back then. He told his grandson Niño Jimenez during their recent little chit-chat that it was not hard to promote boxing events then, amateur or professional. The promoters are the ones who decide how many rounds a professional bout will take.

It runs in the blood

Tatay Angeles, a devout Catholic, recalled that even when Joven was studying in Cagayan de Oro, the latter fought in the amateur rank and was scouted in many competitions. Seeing his potentials, he was later invited to go to Manila to grind his axe, so to speak. From his memory he said, “Wa gyud nagsaba nga niadto siya’g Manila.” (There was no noise that he went to Manila.) He didn’t bother to bid goodbye to any of his family members.

Wanting his “prodigal” son to finish his studies, he went to the Philippine Sports Commission in the nation’s capital to fetch Joven back to CDO and continue his college. But Joven’s love for boxing prevailed as he dropped out of school and continued to chase his dream honed it in the gym and manifested in the actual arena. To cut the long story short, the former stubborn son is now a world-acclaimed boxing persona.

Aside from Joven, his other sons are also into the sport. Jonnel was a referee for professional matches and Vergil was an erstwhile boxing promoter.

The retired educator turned boxing promoter has six children, three sons, and three daughters namely, Annibeth (Libante), a teacher; Virgil, a retired lawman; Jonnel, a civil engineer; Evelyn (Pagaran) who works at DepEd; and Joven, of course. Their late uncle Cesar was a professionally licensed referee.

Boxing and Martial Law

In the late '60s and early '70s, boxing is already the life of the villages of Bukidnon. There is boxing during fiestas and all the local celebrations. It was considered the lifeline of the barrios and the pueblos. Boxing was not only a fad but a social anesthesia. Then, Martial Law spoils it all.

His old man told Niño that after former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. signed Proclamation No. 1081 placing the Philippines under Martial Law, boxing in Bukidnon was greatly affected under the military rule because there was a curfew prohibiting the citizens from going out of their residences at night until the wee hours of the morning. Offenders were detained and punished with civic actions or community service ordered by either the police or the military officers.

Boxing promotion in Bukidnon hangs still like an abandoned punching bag. It was greatly hurt during those dark days in history. But like a phoenix, boxing in their place came back alive after that.

Papa Lolo

Niño Jimenez’s Papa Lolo exchanged marriage vows with the late Virgincita Hallasgo, also a teacher. He was an educator who took up an Agricultural Education degree at Central Mindanao University and his Elementary Education degree and Master of Art in Teaching at the Bukidnon State College, now Bukidnon State University.

“He is very smart, loving, and a heck of a human being,” says Tatay Angeles’s grandson telling this scribe that today’s birthday celebrator is deeply loved not only by his 6 children but 19 grandchildren. “He is very close to me. We talked a lot about boxing, among other things,” Niño said in conclusion. As their pater familias, Tatay Angeles is a multi-division undisputed champion, figuratively. 

Niño and I are telling The Man’s story to the world to give him a rightful tribute as a little-known promoter but an ardent believer of the sport.

This is because of our common love for boxing that bonds us all.

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(Photo: Niño Jimenez)

 

For Joven and Jerwin: Cheer up and Cheers!

Joven Jimenez’s boxing pedigree brought him this far in boxing. As a young boy of 10, he was greatly influenced by his parents Angeles and Virgincita Hallasgo Jimenez who are local promoters of Boxing in Bukidnon.

According to an article posted by Super Balita Cebu on February 3, 2018, after Jimenez got married in Manila, he kept looking for those who wanted to become boxers. He gathered a total of twenty young and aspiring pugilists. But as years went by, all of those twenty students gradually left him.

But even with that painful experience, there was only one person who remained among the aspiring boxers. That’s none other than Jerwin Ancajas who was the only one loyal and believed in Joven's ability as a mentor. They have been together through thick or thin, their hardships at the Survival Camp in Magallanes, in all of those grueling Ancajas defenses, the heartbreaking twin losses against Fernando Daniel Martinez, the ups and downs, and their roller-coaster ride of riding in tandem boxer and trainer.

Until Jerwin received that fatal liver blow from Takuma Inoue and failed to bring home the crown last night.

After each fight, there are three questions the boxer and his team shall consider: Did they do their very best to give honor to the flag? Did they play fair and fully abided by the Code of Sportsmanship? Did they entertain the fans? Have they been compensated accordingly? If the answer to each question was yes, then that’s enough reason for them to celebrate.

Besides, whether you win or lose you still get to go out and roam around in many places either as a participant or poster boy for the sport.

Judging from that video posted by journalist JM Siasat on Facebook hours ago, it emphasized that Joven is like a father figure to Jerwin. Despite that career-deciding loss last night, Joven assured Jerwin that he would just be around even if he’s no longer his coach.

Not unlike Joven’s biological father Angeles who always supports his trainer son throughout.

Speaking of Joven’s father, tomorrow, February 26 is Angeles’s 86^th birth anniversary. The proud father of Joven was born in 1938.

Happy birthday to the old man and thanks for directing and honing his son as one of the most respected and steadfast disciples of the sport of boxing the Philippines ever produced.

Cheer up and cheers! 

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(Photo: Asian Boxing)

 

Of Junto Nakatani and the TMNT

 

Junto Nakatani is also a “turtle” but the Teenage Mutant Ninja type, figuratively.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or TMNT, named after four renowned real-life painters from the Renaissance era, have different skills and abilities we love to see in all the media they are in. Comics, video games, and movies. Name it.

The individual TMNT has downsides as well as strengths. Sans their negative attributes, immaturity, and silliness, each of their different traits if pooled in a boxer, that fighter would be nearly invincible.

Raphael is tough, Donatello is intelligent, Michaelangelo is quick and witty and Leonardo excels in decision making and those are their individual prized possessions. Putting them together with their combined power spells indomitability. You show and display such traits atop the boxing ring, sure as hell, you are already a winner.

And Junto Nakatani possesses those.

Junto Nakatani is my total “ninja turtle”. My fearless forecast is this: He will KO Alexandro Santiago in the middle rounds on February 24 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, in Tokyo, Japan. If he does that he will be the only boxer tucking a world title belt in 3 different weight classes within four years. 

Incidentally, after a decade, there is now a sequel to the 2014 TMNT movie titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: The Blood Bath this 2024.

To freshen up our memory, Nakatani won the vacant WBO flyweight title against my province mate Giemel Magramo and defended it four times in a row. Three of those four defenses were by KO.

Speaking of turtles, somebody who is salivating at the ambition and the thoughts of fighting the Japanese monster, declared that Naoya Inoue is just a turtle.

Yes, he is, but the fictional Gamera kind. That destructive turtle monster in Japanese cinema in the 60s.

Ancajas and Sultan, to make history on February 24

 

February 24 marked two significant events in boxing history. The birth of a legend and a classic championship fight.

First, on February 24, 1977, the soon-to-be legendary boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and became, though arguably, the “Best Ever” in its annals.

The other one is when Roberto Duran beat Iran Barkley by a heart-stopping split decision to earn the WBC middleweight title at the Atlantic City Convention Center in 1989. Duran became only the third fighter in history at that time to win world titles in four different weight divisions, having won honors at lightweight through to super-welterweight beforehand.

Two prominent Filipino boxers, close friends Jonas Sultan and Jerwin Ancajas are once again about to make history in their upcoming fights in Japan facing Riku Masuda and Takuma Inoue, respectively, if they win together. They will be the first ever two Filipino rivals who fought each other for the world title and would both win under the same card. They both made history when they faced each other in a first-ever Pinoy versus Pinoy world championship fight in 92 years.

Ancajas (34-3-2, 23 KOs), a lefty, is set to be the Philippines’ first world champion in 2024. Pretty Boy, a former long-reigning IBF junior bantamweight world champion, bowed to snatch the World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight belt from Takuma Inoue, the younger brother of the monstrous Naoya Inoue.

Sultan’s record stands at 19-6-0. Since 2020, Sultan reached a 3-1 win-loss record with victories over Frank Gonzalez, Carlos Caraballo, and Sharone Carter and a loss to Paul Butler.

We all keep our fingers crossed that Sultan comes home with laurels on his head and belt wrapped around Ancaja’s waist after their February 24 outings and that’s already on Saturday.

If that happens, to this trying-hard boxing historian, that is far more important than the birth anniversary of Floyd Mayweather and more historically relevant than the sensational triumph of Duran over Barkley.

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(Photo: ESPN)

 

FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD FROM EUMIR MARCIAL, ET AL?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) just turned down the request of the legendary Manny Pacquiao to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics. It could have been a very symbolic Olympic year for the country seeing the boxing legend climb the squared arena in the Philippines' historic 100^th anniversary of joining the Summer Games.

Let us move on. Let us accept that Pacquiao is no longer in the equation but as a disciple or follower of the sweet science, by way of the sport, we could finally get the most elusive medal. I believe that Eumir Marcial and the rest could get that for us.

What a historic achievement and feat it could have been for Pacquiao and the Philippines if the request was approved by the POC as we celebrate a century of our Olympic history in Paris this year. Our country first competed in the 1924 Games which were also held in Paris, the French capital.

In its letter to the Philippine Olympic Commission (POC), the IOC denied its request for Pacquiao to be exempted from the rule that sets the age limit for boxers at 40 years of age. The 8-division champ is now 45. The POC had requested a “universality” entry, an Olympic entry that is granted directly to countries based on having insufficient athletes in the games. After months of waiting, the request was denied.

Let us not forget that the opportunity to give the country its first-ever gold via the sweet science slipped through Pacquiaos’ fingers in 2016 for the Rio de Janeiro Games. He was offered by the POC to join but he declined due to his hectic official schedule as a member of the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2016.

As boxing fans, let us direct and throw all our prayers and wish Eumir Marcial and the rest of the boxers to finally get that century-old Olympic boxing gold right to complete our celebration of our 100 years in the Olympics.

I am positive that boxing is one of our surest ways to snatch that gold, hopefully this year.

Or whenever in the post-Pacquaio era.

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(Photo: Philippine Olympics Committee)

 

 

Joel Taduran Remembers Junto Nakatani

 

Joel Taduran and I had a long chat the other day. I reminded him that I was one of the spectators in that jampacked astrodome in Sablayan during his sorry loss against the ex-Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga. The event was presented by Knuckleheads Pro Boxing Fraternity and that was seven years ago this year.

Boxing runs in the veins of Joel Taduran. His brother Joseph is a former amateur boxer and another brother named Jorge later turned professional. Not to be counted out of course is Pedro, Jr., who held the IBF mini-flyweight crown from 2019 to 2021.

What his brothers failed to accomplish Pedro Jr. filled up for them. Joel is so proud of his kid brother Pedro, Jr.

Joel Taduran told me that he was suffering from diarrhea during the Barriga fight and then showed me his photo showing him so dehydrated. He was as skin and bones as a kite. Barriga defeated him via UD in that 10-round fight back home.

At that time, Barriga had not fought outside of the country while Taduran already boxed outside the Philippines, particularly in Japan, China, and Indonesia, and that made him a journeyman. He fought twice in Japan.

Taduran’s first fight abroad was at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo where he was frustrated by Toshiyuri Igarashi, a former world champion, on May 7, 2016, via UD.

Taduran’s second fight in Japan was when he was TKOed by Junto Nakatani on April 16, 2017.  That was before he fought Barriga, also seven years had passed. 

Joel Taduran remembered his fight against the then-budding Japanese slugger. He said, “Magaling talaga yun. Bumagsak ako sa Round 2 pero lumaban pa ako hangang sa tinamaan ulit ako ng solid sa 4^th Round hanggang sa itinigil na ng referee ang laban.  Pero hindi ako groggy noon, solid punch lang talaga.” (He [Nakatani] is good. I fell in Round 2 but still fought until I was hit by a solid punch again in the 4th Round until the referee stopped the fight. But I wasn't groggy then, just hit by a solid punch.)  

He even mentioned that most of the time in Japan, if you are hit by a solid blow, there is the tendency for the ref will stop the fight thinking that they have already seen it all.

Talking about Nakatani (26-0, 19 KOs), he is scheduled to face Alexandro Santiago in Japan on February 24, 2024. The co-main event is the fight of Jerwin Ancajas against Takuma Inoue.

When asked who he will root for between Nakatani and Santiago, he said it’s 50/50 but highly recognizes his former rival’s brinkmanship based on the Japanese’s latest performance against the Mexican Argi Cortes last year, also in Japan.

Taduran said that Nakatani utilizes his height advantage. He explained, “Kapag mataas siya (Nakatani) sa kalaban, maintain niya ang distance. Sa galaw ng kalaban siya buma-base kaya mabilis niya mabasa ang laro.” (When [Nakatani] is taller than his opponent, he can maintain the distance. He based his attacks on his rival’s movements and he can read the game quickly.)

Nakatani was just 19 when he faced Taduran who was then 24 years old.

I admire Taduran for slugging it out against the soon-to-be-strongest Japanese fighter besides Naoya Inoue today and for setting his foot twice on arguably the sport’s most hostile host country.

Taduran now works in Macau training high-caliber Asian boxers and is employed by Macau Boxing House. It is a boxing gym aimed at training boxers to compete in highly competitive championships all over Asia.

Regardless of their numbers and other career stats, boxers who once fought for the flag like Taduran should rightfully be remembered and acknowledged.

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(Photo: Facebook account of Don Joel Taduran)