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Great Article.
By Greg B. Macabenta
WITH all the excitement and pride over Manny Pacquiao’s triumph over Mexico’s Erik Morales, global Filipinos should feel equally proud of the fact that fellow Pinoys have been reaping victories in the ring in America, going back to the early 1900s.
Pancho Villa, Ceferino Garcia and Gabriel “Flash” Elorde have been enshrined in boxing international halls of fame for decades, with the first two winning world championships in those days when restaurants in California carried signs that read, “No dogs and Filipinos allowed.”
Elorde, while coming much later, was the first Filipino boxer to be elevated to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This was in 1993. He was also the first Asian to be so honored. Years earlier, in 1974, he was named by the World Boxing Council “the greatest junior lightweight boxing champion in WBC history.”
But the romance of boxing somehow becomes sweeter when recalled against a background of racial discrimination and prejudice. In those years when Filipinos were often compared with monkeys, prize fighting offered them a way to assert their manhood and to command respect.
Several years ago, Corky Pasquil, a young Filipino American, produced a documentary that told the tale of Filipino boxers in America in those early years. The film won critical acclaim, along with the Best New Film Award in a Filipino American Video and Film Festival.
The documentary would have been consigned to the archives had the Pacquiao phenomenon not blasted into the scene. Pasquil has resurrected his masterpiece and is now selling copies online.
The Great Pinoy Boxing Era is a 32-minute video that generates genuine pride among Filipinos in America, especially those who remember the period during which the pugilistic triumphs were won.
In those days, walking the streets of California was hazardous to a Filipino’s health. He was likely to get mugged, not just by goons but by policemen because of the color of his skin. One can therefore imagine the thrill that the downtrodden Pinoy felt while watching a kababayan beating up a white man in the ring.
The promotional blurb of The Great Pinoy Boxing Era declares glowingly:
“You’ll be inspired by the courage and pride of these true Filipino heroes. Pancho Villa put the Philippines on the map as the first Pinoy to emerge as a world champion. His career took off in a flurry of events. After claiming championships of the Orient and Australia, he came to the US in May 1921. Villa quickly became a world-class contender and won the world flyweight championship in September 1923. Pancho Villa’s fame inspired future Pinoy boxers. He set the stage for the great Pinoy boxing era.
“Speedy Dado, the Pacific Coast bantamweight champion in 1932, was one of the most well paid Pinoy boxers of that time. He was so successful in attracting full-house crowds that he commanded 50 percent of the gate total every time he fought. Those gate totals were in the range of $7,000 to $10,000.
“Ceferino Garcia was the world middleweight champion in 1939-40. Although he was of large stature, he possessed the quickness and grace of a flyweight. He was known for his powerful ‘bolo punch’ with which he conquered many world class opponents.”
Other Filipino boxers who won world titles in those early years were Small Montana (real name, Benjamin Gan), who became world flyweight champion in 1935 and successfully defended it for two years, until 1937. From 1938 to 1940, Little Dado held the National Boxing Association flyweight crown.
In the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, Cely Villanueva of the Philippines won the bronze medal. In 1964 his son Anthony Villanueva did him one medal better by winning the Philippines’ first Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
While Elorde, Garcia and Villa have been immortalized in the boxing world, the Philippines has not been lacking in world champions. Manny Pacquiao follows in the footsteps of many Filipino world titleholders, namely:
• Salvador “Dado” Marino, world flyweight champion from 1950 to 1952.
• Roberto Cruz, WBC junior welterweight champion, 1964.
• Pedro Adigue Jr., WBC world junior welterweight champion, 1968.
• Rene Barrientos, WBC super featherweight title holder, 1969.
• Bernabe Villacampo, WBC flyweight champ, 1969 to 1970.
• Erbito Salavarria, WBC flyweight champ in 1970 and WBA flyweight titleholder in 1975.
• Ben Villaflor, world junior lightweight champ, 1972.
• Rolando Navarrete, WBC super featherweight title holder, 1981.
• Frank Cedeno, WBC world flyweight champ, 1983 to 1984.
• Dodi “Boy” Peñalosa, IBC world flyweight champion in 1987, despite being stricken with polio.
• Gerry Peñalosa, Dodi’s brother, WBC super flyweight champion, 1997.
• Luisito Espinosa held two different world titles, the WBC featherweight crown and the WBA bantamweight title.
In their own time, each one was a hero in the eyes of the Filipino nation. Today, most of them have been forgotten. But the bets are that Manny Pacquiao will be remembered for a long time to come.
By Greg B. Macabenta
WITH all the excitement and pride over Manny Pacquiao’s triumph over Mexico’s Erik Morales, global Filipinos should feel equally proud of the fact that fellow Pinoys have been reaping victories in the ring in America, going back to the early 1900s.
Pancho Villa, Ceferino Garcia and Gabriel “Flash” Elorde have been enshrined in boxing international halls of fame for decades, with the first two winning world championships in those days when restaurants in California carried signs that read, “No dogs and Filipinos allowed.”
Elorde, while coming much later, was the first Filipino boxer to be elevated to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This was in 1993. He was also the first Asian to be so honored. Years earlier, in 1974, he was named by the World Boxing Council “the greatest junior lightweight boxing champion in WBC history.”
But the romance of boxing somehow becomes sweeter when recalled against a background of racial discrimination and prejudice. In those years when Filipinos were often compared with monkeys, prize fighting offered them a way to assert their manhood and to command respect.
Several years ago, Corky Pasquil, a young Filipino American, produced a documentary that told the tale of Filipino boxers in America in those early years. The film won critical acclaim, along with the Best New Film Award in a Filipino American Video and Film Festival.
The documentary would have been consigned to the archives had the Pacquiao phenomenon not blasted into the scene. Pasquil has resurrected his masterpiece and is now selling copies online.
The Great Pinoy Boxing Era is a 32-minute video that generates genuine pride among Filipinos in America, especially those who remember the period during which the pugilistic triumphs were won.
In those days, walking the streets of California was hazardous to a Filipino’s health. He was likely to get mugged, not just by goons but by policemen because of the color of his skin. One can therefore imagine the thrill that the downtrodden Pinoy felt while watching a kababayan beating up a white man in the ring.
The promotional blurb of The Great Pinoy Boxing Era declares glowingly:
“You’ll be inspired by the courage and pride of these true Filipino heroes. Pancho Villa put the Philippines on the map as the first Pinoy to emerge as a world champion. His career took off in a flurry of events. After claiming championships of the Orient and Australia, he came to the US in May 1921. Villa quickly became a world-class contender and won the world flyweight championship in September 1923. Pancho Villa’s fame inspired future Pinoy boxers. He set the stage for the great Pinoy boxing era.
“Speedy Dado, the Pacific Coast bantamweight champion in 1932, was one of the most well paid Pinoy boxers of that time. He was so successful in attracting full-house crowds that he commanded 50 percent of the gate total every time he fought. Those gate totals were in the range of $7,000 to $10,000.
“Ceferino Garcia was the world middleweight champion in 1939-40. Although he was of large stature, he possessed the quickness and grace of a flyweight. He was known for his powerful ‘bolo punch’ with which he conquered many world class opponents.”
Other Filipino boxers who won world titles in those early years were Small Montana (real name, Benjamin Gan), who became world flyweight champion in 1935 and successfully defended it for two years, until 1937. From 1938 to 1940, Little Dado held the National Boxing Association flyweight crown.
In the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, Cely Villanueva of the Philippines won the bronze medal. In 1964 his son Anthony Villanueva did him one medal better by winning the Philippines’ first Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
While Elorde, Garcia and Villa have been immortalized in the boxing world, the Philippines has not been lacking in world champions. Manny Pacquiao follows in the footsteps of many Filipino world titleholders, namely:
• Salvador “Dado” Marino, world flyweight champion from 1950 to 1952.
• Roberto Cruz, WBC junior welterweight champion, 1964.
• Pedro Adigue Jr., WBC world junior welterweight champion, 1968.
• Rene Barrientos, WBC super featherweight title holder, 1969.
• Bernabe Villacampo, WBC flyweight champ, 1969 to 1970.
• Erbito Salavarria, WBC flyweight champ in 1970 and WBA flyweight titleholder in 1975.
• Ben Villaflor, world junior lightweight champ, 1972.
• Rolando Navarrete, WBC super featherweight title holder, 1981.
• Frank Cedeno, WBC world flyweight champ, 1983 to 1984.
• Dodi “Boy” Peñalosa, IBC world flyweight champion in 1987, despite being stricken with polio.
• Gerry Peñalosa, Dodi’s brother, WBC super flyweight champion, 1997.
• Luisito Espinosa held two different world titles, the WBC featherweight crown and the WBA bantamweight title.
In their own time, each one was a hero in the eyes of the Filipino nation. Today, most of them have been forgotten. But the bets are that Manny Pacquiao will be remembered for a long time to come.
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