Philippine Pro-Boxing is Dying

Amid the Manny Pacquiao era, professional boxing in the Philippines is dying.

It is a complex problem that perhaps the past Aquino administration has overlook and the Duterte administration is bent on resuscitating the sport that catapulted Pacquiao to stardom. Pacquiao, also a Senator, and some earned a lot, but not the majority of the Filipino pugilists.

“Tabangan nato ang (let us help) boxing, it is dying,” Games and Amusement Board (GAB) Commissioner Eduard Trinidad emphatically told some Cebu based boxing stakeholders that responded to the Visayas dialogue that was called by GAB Chairman Abraham “Khalil” Mitra at the GAB Visayas field office.

INVESTIGATE NASSER CRUZ

Mitra also assured the audience that included boxing promoters Rex “Wakee” Salud and Sammy Gello-ani that his office will investigate the “alleged anomalies and unprofessional conduct” that were committed by GAB boxing division chief, Dr. Nasser Cruz, an old timer of GAB which has lorded the local boxing scene for years.

“We will investigate, please be assured of that. But please provide us more proof and details,” Mitra told international boxing judge Edward Ligas and other Cebu based ring officials who earlier wrote President Rodrigo Duterte to investigate the alleged shenanigans of Cruz, which included among others; human trafficking, staging mismatches, allowing boxers to fight abroad despite not being accompanied by a trainer or manager, appearing as corner man for foreign based boxers, favoritism in GAB boxers ratings, etc.

GAB Chairman Abraham “Khalil” Mitra (in gray shirt) presides over a dialogue among boxing stakeholders at the VIsayas GAB Office last Saturday. Immediately to his left is GAB Commissioner Fritz Gaston. GAB Comm. Eduard Trinidad (in plaid polo) along with Cong. Mark Sambar (sitting next to Gaston) were also around. (Philboxing photo by Tonton Alcos-Antogop)

GAB Commissioner Fritz Gaston who is on hold-over capacity from the Aquino administration seconded Mitra but not without after making some lame explanations for the incidents.

In their six page complaint to Pres. Duterte, Ligas and his group alleged that Dr. Cruz issued a certification to a woman who was not a professional Filipino boxer to leave for Australia.

“As the GAB Chief of Boxing and other contact sports, Dr. Cruz issued a certification that a certain Ms. JENNIFER ORTIZ, is a certified and licensed boxer so that she can travel and go to Australia to meet her boyfriend, Peter Maniatis. There is no record showing that a certain Jennifer Ortiz indeed was a boxer and that she fought in the Philippines or Australia,” a portion of the letter complaint read addressed to Duterte thru Mitra, copies of which were furnish to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, Sen. Manny Pacquiao and to Cong. Gus Tambunting, the chairman of the House Committee on Games and Amusements, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

“By reason of the certification issued by Dr. Cruz, Ms. Ortiz was issued an Australian Visa and was able to travel and stay with his Australian boyfriend. Dr. Cruz is clearly promoting the heinous crime of human trafficking,” the complaint added.

In another incident, the group also alleged that Dr. Cruz caused the retirement for good of boxer Ruel Suya in a WBC-ABCO lightweight championship on Apr. 20, 2013 against a Japanese boxer, Tosho Makoto-Aoki in Lipa City, Batangas despite a long lay-off of 1 year and 7 months after an earlier knockout defeat in Thailand. Suya suffered an eye ailment since then, the complainants asserted.

Among the basis of the complaints were the files of the articles of journalist and boxing aficionado Ronnie Nathanielsz who recently died of cardiac arrest in California, USA, a staunch critic of Cruz, whom he assailed in one of his columns, where Cruz allegedly did a “patently unethical” if not illegal action of appearing as a cut-man in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios fight last November 2013 in Macau.

Nathanielsz, 81, who was offered a minute of prayer for his eternal repose at the end of a two-hour meeting claimed that Cruz worked for Rex Tso, a Chinese boxer from Hongkong who got the moniker “The Wonder Kid” for his successive victories in his country and elsewhere.

DWINDLING NUMBER OF FILIPINO PRO-BOXERS

Mitra revealed that from 1,500 professional boxers five years ago, the county right now only has 652, which is a caused for concern for GAB.

Mitra said boxing has not been enticing many boxers because it is “low-paying” for neophyte boxers, describing it as even below the minimum wage of Filipinos.

“Below minimum wage ang boxer. I am sorry, we have to include economics here but really the earning is very low.”

“It needs a shot in the arm. We have to make boxing sexier and salable,” Mitra added as he also agreed with the concerns of the promoters that they have a problem of staging big, attractive promotions.

Mitra explained that newbies received even less than P100/day as winning a 4 round bout would only result into winning a professional fee of P4,000.

If the boxer is knocked-out from a bout, the rest period would range from 45-90 days depending on the severity of the injury so if one is kayoed, the boxer would just receive the four thousand pesos and pray that his manager would provide him subsistence allowance before he fights again. From 4 rounds, once he progresses, the boxer could be elevated to fight for 6,8,10 and 12 rounds for championships.

On the promoters side, Salud acknowledged the pro-active management of Mitra whom he revealed was the first time to have happened, then former GAB Chairman Juan Ramon “Manju” Guanzon never called them for a dialogue during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino lll.

“Happy kami na nandito kayo, sa previous administration walang ganito (we are happy that you are here, the previous administration didn’t have this),” Salud said, echoing the same sentiment from Gello-ani and Omega Boxing Stable representative Rico Navarro, who is the Vice President for Professional Sports of the International Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IPI) owned by the family of actor Jake Castillo.

The common concern is the lack of corporate and big sponsors to stage a fight with a television coverage.

Cong. Mark Sambar of the Pwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party list who was also present raised the idea that the TV coverage for boxing could be possibly done first with government TV stations, where a weekly two-hour slot for boxing could be allotted.

Sambar said, he could “work on it”, and probably ask the private TV networks for the same once they re-process their franchises in the House of Representatives where he is the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations and member for the majority of several committees including Games and Amusements.

GAB’s Trinidad said they are also seeking the support of a telecommunications company, among others.

PENSION AND SCHOLARSHIPS

As regard the welfare and protection of professional boxers, Gello-ani suggested that GAB could work for providing pension and insurance.

Each boxer is deducted one-percent from his purse after a fight for stand-by “welfare fund” but the amount assistance is very minimal ranging from P3,000-P50,000 depending on the injury.

Rep. Sambar also broached the idea of providing short-term vocational and technical courses for professional boxers through the Technical Education and Skills Department (TESDA) while they are on mandatory rest period after a fight.

Sambar said his office in coordination with GAB could make representation with TESDA for the purpose.

“They could approach me and we will help them through TESDA, that is very doable,” Sambar told Philboxing.com.

The vocational skill that a particular boxer would learn from TESDA could augment a boxer’s income, Sambar explained.

Among the signatories of the complaints against Dr. Cruz who were also around during the dialogue were international boxing referee Teddy Alivio, international boxing judge Edgardo Olalo and ring physician Dr. Jose Unabia. Boxing coach Edito “Ala” Villamor, who represented international boxing promoter Antonio “Bidoy” Aldeguer was also present.

Aldeguer staged the Pinoy Pride 39 with ABS-CBN at the Cebu Coliseum Saturday night featuring Milan Melindo for the Interim IBF junior flyweight belt against Thai boxer Fahlan Sakkreerin. The Pagara brothers, Albert and Jayson are in the undercards. Albert will engage with Raymund Commey of Ghana to try to avenge his loss last July for the WBO Intercontinental Super bantamweight crown in the hands of Mexican Cesar Juarez in California. The older Pagara will face Nicaraguan Jose Alfaro where a victory could solidify his hold as the number 1 contender in the WBO junior Welterweight division.

Mitra also revealed that the GAB will hold a Philippine Boxing Convention early next year and will also help in organizing the Orient Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) regional boxing conference.

Boxing trainer Edito Villamor motioned in getting a document to be shown to GAB Chairman Abraham Mitra. International boxing judge Edward Ligas sat beside Mitra.