More than a champion

If you saw the convoy that welcomed and accompanied him on the way to Mandaue and eventually to Banilad, you would’ve thought that a Presidentiable candidate was in town. But there were no wang-wangs or an unusual presence of armed men playing the role of bodyguards. The convoy was a mix of the black SUVs of the ALA Boxing Gym and a host of motorcycles, Multicabs and other ordinary-looking cars that you don’t see at parades or motorcades. No, it wasn’t the arrival of Manny Pacquiao or any other Pinoy world champ. It was the arrival of more than a champ; it was no less than Cebu Boxing’s loved one, Z “The Dream” Gorres.

Though he didn’t return as a world champion, Gorres has proven that one doesn’t have to be a world champ to gain the admiration of the boxing family. There’s no need to get into the details of how his last fight ended. But the most amazing aspect about his situation is how he will now serve as an instrument to bring about a serious look at the sport and review the way boxers should be treated. For this alone, he’s already more than a world champion.

Let’s call it a feat because it is. Suffering this horrible injury is believe it or not, an achievement that he’ll take even if he has to be a “victim” of the circumstances.

Boxing is first and foremost a sport. At the professional level, it becomes more than just a sport. It’s a form of entertainment. People pay to watch boxing, with boxers serving as the main entertainers of this show. The greatest boxers of all time were known for bringing in the crowds to fill up stadiums. People lined up to pay just to watch Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson and the other greatest boxers in history. Today, we have the usual ticket sales that generate huge amounts of revenues, but on top of this, we also have a host of other sources of revenues such as TV rights, pay-per-view TV, venue rights and all the commercials that come with a boxing production for TV. Bottom line is bottom line. There’s a lot of money in boxing. But at whose expense?

Who draws all these sponsors, fees, TV rights and revenues? Who brings in the crowds to Vegas (or Texas for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight)? Who draws people to pay anywhere between P100 to P500 just to watch a fight live on closed circuit or pay-per-view TV? Who entertains us boxing fans so that we get a reprieve from our daily grind and get to unwind on a lazy Sunday (or Saturday)? Certainly not Bob Arum, Oscar de la Hoya for Golden Boy Promotions nor Don King. We don’t watch boxing because of these promoters, do we?

Forgive me for being redundant, but Z Gorres the boxer, has once again amazed us in more than the way he did when we saw him for the first time as a boxer. Stylish, classy and slippery he was when he first went up the ring as a pro boxer. And stylish, classy and slippery he stands out today for the roster of boxers throughout the world. While we’re always proud for world champions that we produce, prouder we are today for the feat of Z Gorres. He has done more than making us pay to watch boxing. He has more importantly opened up the eyes of the boxing family that is certain to undergo a major review of policies and directions for the sport. Already in the works is the proposal for create laws for the protection of boxers. Already done and still ongoing is the outpouring of financial, moral and physical support for the recovery of Gorres. When you get doctors, nurses and physical therapists to throw in their services for free, that’s something else. When you get a boxing fan base of Cebu to wake up and see the tougher side of boxing, that’s simply amazing. When you get fellow boxers, fans and journalists to shed a tear on your arrival, you’ve got to be more than a champion.

At the end of the day, Z Gorres is going to create an impact on boxing that no other Pinoy boxer has done, not even the Pacman. His influence is going to reverberate through the future of boxing. His feat is going to benefit the very person who has brought all of us to follow boxing. Odd it might be, but Z Gorres the boxer is now going to champion the great cause for the safety of boxers of the future and beyond. Now that’s no ordinary champ!

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Time-out: Happy birthday to Onette Halili! >>> You can reach me at [email protected].