By Ronnie Nathanielsz
On a glorious Sunday morning in the famed Araneta Coliseum renowned as the “Mecca” of Philippine sports and entertainment and steeped in boxing history, two young men enhanced the dimensions of the saga of the sport in our country and reminded us all in eloquent fashion of the fighting heart and the indomitable courage of the Filipino.
Our people were heroes in war and when our young men wage war in the ring, they rise to even greater heights of heroism, epitomized by the incomparable Manny Pacquiao, the world’s No.1 pound-for-pound fighter and a genuine hero of our time.
Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire proved beyond a shadow of doubt that he is by far the finest flyweight in the world and that his stunning fifth round, one-punch knockout of the brash and cocky Australian Vic Darchinyan was only the beginning of a career destined for greatness.
Donaire whom we had the privilege of entertaining for dinner in our home along with his attractive wife Rachel who stands by him like a fortress, watched one of our archived videos of our beloved friend, the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde and was immediately awed by the way Elorde moved to stay out of trouble and the finesse with which he threw his combinations. Nonito learned in a veritable flash and first showed us the dexterity with which he could switch to the southpaw stance and duplicate the flowing motion of a”Flash” Elorde during a pre-fight punch-mitts session at the “Punch Out” gym in Makati City.
In his fight against undefeated Raul “Cobra” Martinez (24-0, 14 KO’s) there was a moment in the second round when seated a couple of rows back from where we used to cover the Elorde fights at the Araneta Coliseum on dzHP Radio alongside the incomparable Joe Cantada, we for a moment saw the reincarnation of Elorde as Donaire switched to the southpaw stance and nailed Martinez with a left before gliding back into an orthodox stance. It was consummate class and incomparable skill – the kind which, when combined with the fiercely courageous Filipino heart, should carry Donaire to greater heights of achievement in the years ahead.
But for all the expected glory of Donaire, the largely unexpected performance of Brian Viloria who regained the world light flyweight title with a sensational, picture-perfect one-punch knockout of illustrious Mexican champion Ulises Solis who had slain one Filipino challenger after another in ring battles of the recent past, was the dramatic high point of a Sunday sweet Sunday we will long remember.
Many Filipinos had effectively given up on Brian after his lackluster performances against Omar Nino Romero, no matter the controversial decisions and the fact that the Mexican had tested positive for a banned substance in one post-fight drug test. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Viloria picked up the pieces of a career that at one time seemed destined for big things, trained under a quiet but extremely talented coaching staff headed by Robert Garcia and put every sinew in his body into the quest for redemption. In the end, it paid off handsomely as Viloria’s stunning eleventh round knockout of Solis in the Mexican's ninth title defense proved that it was not a Hawaiian punch running through his veins but the genuine blood of heroic Filipinos.
We personally were overjoyed at the success that came to Brian as a result of his refusal to give-up and his grim determination to prove that indeed he comes from a race where champions are made of. His new-found confidence and the ability to realize the weapons he had and to use them effectively, should stand as a lesson to other young Filipino fighters who seek to follow in the path laid out by our champions whose ability , like Pacquiao himself to overcome setbacks, should serve as a beacon.
It was an emotional high ride not just for Viloria but for his manager, the extremely likeable Garry Gittelsohn. As Brian himself said, he once again fell in love with boxing and we were pleased to convey to him the reality that Filipinos had once again fallen in love with Brian Viloria.
Donaire is not just deadly in the ring he is, like Viloria a decent young man both in and out of the ring, giving untold respect and extending the hand of friendship in a genuine manner to their beaten foes. Raul Martinez whose own brief but unbridled love affair with the Filipino people was exemplified not merely by his words but by his actions in carrying a Philippine flag around the ring when the fight was over and waving it to the crowd, was a class act from day one.
Fight fans, among them political leaders, showbiz personalities, representatives of big business, middle-class executives and the simple folk also responded wholeheartedly to the gesture of Solis who went around the ring waving to the fans and paying homage to the great sportsmanship and affection with which they were treated by the Filipino people.
Winning was not everything although it was the best thing for millions of Filipinos because it gave us an opportunity to showcase the Philippines in an endearing light to the rest of the world and that should mean the most. For this, we all owe a debt of gratitude to Solar Sports and Bob Arum’s Top Rank promotions for believing just as we do in the class and the courage of our champions and showing the courage and taking the huge financial risk to stage a fight card that was truly one which ennobled the Filipino and reminded the world that the Philippines is indeed the home of “The Thrilla in Manila” and there’s no place quite like it.
