On November 13, 2022, the whole boxing world will commemorate the 12th anniversary of Manny Pacquiao being declared an octuple champion. Also, on that day, in the event of the week-long 72nd Founding Anniversary celebration of Occidental Mindoro, a punching festival will be held dubbed “Babakan ng Kamao sa Kapitolyo”. It will be a spectacular fistfight of our local amateur boxers and professional fights featuring aspiring professionals from all over. The amateur bouts are open to all fighters from Occidental Mindoro.
It is almost impossible that the feat of Pacquiao to win major world titles in eight different weight classes to be ever replicated. He is the octuple champion, and that is beyond repetition. Filipino living legend Manny Pacquiao is the only boxer in history to have won twelve major world titles in eight different weight divisions. Pacquiao achieved the feat when he defeated Antonio Margarito via a unanimous decision to win the WBC super welterweight title on, as I have mentioned above, November 13, 2010, at the Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas, USA.
The main event between two tyro professionals is promoted by Cecilio Alvarez of the Sablayan and Sta. Cruz-based JBoy Boxing Promotions was accredited by the Philippine Games and Amusement Board (GAB) in 2010, the same year when Pacquiao became the octuple champion. This event, at Capitol Plaza in the capital town of Mamburao, will feature budding and aspiring professionals like James Pacamalan and Henry Lumalan. The Pacamalan versus Lumalan will be the afternoon's main event next Sunday. Pacamalan last fought on June 18, 2022, in Kitaotao, Bukidnon, and TKOed Armando Literiano in a rather funny way. Click YouTube and see it for yourself.
Alvarez, now a police officer and was once a street boxer as a teenager, thinks of many untapped and unrecognized boxing potentials in the province, he said, “Nakikita ko po kasi maraming boxers natin na magagaling subalit hindi nabibigyan ng pansin.” The promoter has a boxing pedigree. He added that his maternal grandfather, Santos “Very Gooding” Abela was a known amateur puncher in Palawan. He also has an uncle who fought for Sablayan, Pol Abela, and was a regional star during the 80s.
On the upcoming slugfest at the Capitol on Sunday, under the tutelage of the legendary local great Joe Francisco, Sablayan will be parading two of its very best pugilists. They share the same first name: John Alcantara Bulan and John Paul Amores. Pabling Serrano Jr., secretary of the SAMARICA Alliance Boxing Association (SABA), the sanctioning body of the amateur side of the event, also informed this scribe that SABA’s prexy is San Jose Vice-Mayor Sonny Javier.
Aside from Bulan and Amores, the participating boxers include Darwin Laquihon, Eiron Bernardo, Johnson Remobus, and John Lorenz Dela Cruz. From Rizal, they will have Ronel Villanueva, Christian Talacero, Rodrigo Hermoso, and Jansel Edep. Dave Ulay Bautista is the lone representative from Calintaan. The host municipality will field in John Christian De Jesus, Arnel De Jesus, Ricardo Segundo, and John Delle Amar. On the other hand, the main event will be contested by Mark Justine Mendez, Kenvin Prado, Rio Rivero, Chris Talacero, and Ramil Salcedo.
Calling all boxing enthusiasts, come one come all. The mayhem will start at 1:00 PM and by the way, it’s admission is free!
After 72 years of defying the odds, political, economic, cultural, social, and even spiritual, under its new leadership, citizens like you and me must take part in history in our current roles and capacities. We must both fight in the range and ring of, so to speak, history-making wins as fighters and not just spectators.
Just like how Pacquiao laid a savage beating on Margarito even though the PacMan was outweighed by 17 pounds, we will battle them out in complete humility in the coming years.
Allow me to end by quoting Pacquaio after November 13, 2010 fight, “I fought a very good fight and the atmosphere at Cowboys Stadium was so memorable. I do think the fight should have been stopped. Margarito took a lot of punishment." But all boxing pundits know that after the Margarito fight, the PacMan passed his prime but in our case as a province, we are just starting to slug it out. To quote the fictitious Rocky Balboa, “It ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
Keep on punchin’, folks, and happy anniversary!
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Reference:
https://www.espn.ph/boxing/story/_/id/15132011/ranking-manny-pacquiao-eight-division-titles
Photo:
https://www.worldboxingnews.net/2010/11/14/manny-pacquiao-antonio-margartio/
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