By Ronnie Nathanielsz
January 2 marks the untimely death of the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde who reigned for almost seven-and-a-half years as world junior lightweight champion. Elorde took on some of the best fighters in his division and never backed off from a challenge.
Enshrined in the Boxing Hall of Fame, Elorde is perhaps more than any other fighter, enshrined in the hearts and minds of a generation of Filipinos who lived life with goodness and simplicity at a time when boxing was more a sport than a naked business enterprise, so unlike today where promoters milk the public dry and where integrity and decency are virtues long gone.
Of course there are exceptions but sadly too little to make a real difference.
In today’s utterly commercialized world of boxing Manny Pacquiao is a national idol if not a hero- and rightly so. But his place in boxing history, indeed in the hearts of millions of Filipinos is built on his exploits in the ring rather than outside. Pacquiao’s indomitable courage and his gallantry are stuff that legends are made of and he is today, without a shadow of doubt, the most recognizable Filipino both at home and even abroad.
During Elorde’s time television was comparatively new and international communications and media were in a state that was far removed from the kind of worldwide phenomenon it is today and nowhere near the level of influence that media exerts on its audience. There were no public relations men or spin doctors who made men look bigger than they really were or made people believe beyond belief. Men like Elorde lived and died and won esteem and recognition if not adulation purely on their merits and their achievements recognized by spectators up close and personal.
Elorde showed us all how to break free from the bondage of poverty and fight our way into the hearts and homes of millions of his countrymen and in his road to glory Elorde never ever forgot where he came from. He was a good and decent man, a loving father, a caring husband and a deeply Christian individual who essentially cared for others more than even himself.
We can debate the question of who was the greatest Filipino boxer of all time and indeed who was the finest pound-for-pound fighter in the world but the assessments will all be subjective because the fighters are intrinsically separated by time and circumstance. But if one were to look at Elorde within the context of his skills as a fighter, a “thinking fighter” as George Araneta who was a young man who watched Elorde destroy Harold Gomes along with 30,000 frenzied Filipinos in March 1960 at the inauguration of the Araneta Coliseum, then he stands tall in the pantheon of Filipino greats including Pancho Villa, Ceferino Garcia and a host of others of a glorious era.
The greatness of Elorde was not merely his achievements as a fighter and the fairness with which he engaged his opponents, but the respect he earned because of the respect he gave. Outside the ring was where Elorde made, to us, his greatest contribution to boxing and the Filipino race. He was soft-spoken, humble and a personification of decency and kindness He was a man who cared deeply for his people and was proud of his country no matter what.
He bowed and never bragged, he was humble and never haughty, he gave and never asked anything in return. He was big, but to him the sport was bigger.
On this his 21st death anniversary we will once again remember with fondness the wonderful friendship we shared with Elorde. It withstood the test of time because it was steeped in mutual respect, honesty and affection. No matter what anybody says, to us he was and always will be the greatest Filipino boxer of all time.
