Of all the Filipino athletes whom we have sent to the Olympics, only the boxers have brought home medals. We could have earned our first and only gold in the 1964 Tokyo Olympiad courtesy of a featherweight boxer named Anthony Villanueva. It was incredible that the judges did not see how he beat the Russian Stepashkin.
Up the present, our pugilists continue to be our consistent sporting heroes. True, other sports have produced great sports talents. But, still boxing is our foremost source of international pride. Don’t we drop almost everything we are doing when Manny Pacquiao enters the ring in quest of foes to vanquish?
Our preference for boxing is a phenomenon that is quite easy to understand. We identify ourselves with the boxers, because almost all of them come from the most modest of our brothers and we are a nation where the soap opera still dominate. Their lives are tales of unbelievable sacrifices so that each time they deliver knock-out punches, we exhilarate in unbridled triumph. Conversely, when they fall, we seem to suffer.
Or so I thought.
Z Gorres, nicknamed “The Dream” tried to follow the footsteps of Gabriel “Flash” Elorde. His early victories adored him to thousands of fight fans. His defensive skill was so excellent. It was a joy to see him elude, in the many bouts he faced, the wicked punches of his foes by a proverbial whisker. His blows might not have been as ponderous as that of Rolando Navarette, but he placed them well with the malicious intention to produce maximum effect. Knockouts were credited to his statistical data. And we dreamed with him.
In his November 2009 fight, a tune up for a world championship date, Gorres made us think that he was long overdue for a world belt. We knew he prepared himself for that contest. After each round of that fight, we believed him even more. But, one blow in the final canto turned his luck around.
Soon after he was adjudged winner, he crumpled to the floor unconscious and was rushed to the hospital in terrible condition. The survivor in him willed that he pulls thru. It is sad that, in all likelihood, Gorres will never be allowed to don the gloves again. But, is it even sadder that most of us may have forgotten that he once tried to make us proud as Filipinos. As his dream reached a dead end, his nightmare, the horror of all boxers, has begun.
Left without any further means of livelihood, Z has only the graciousness of his promoter, (correction, not just promoter but a fatherly patron) Mr. Antonio L. Aldeguer, to keep him going. The physical presence of his son, Michael, in the United States, lifted the ebbing spirits of Gorres. Indeed, Michael saw to it that the Dream, was given proper medical attention, and we will never know at how much!
I write in the hope that we rally behind Z Gorres. He does not need anymore our screams and applause. These are only memories to cherish him. What is important to him at present is that we translate our emotional fervor for boxing to something more tangible. His rehabilitation will be long and expensive and God knows where he will get the funds.
I see a plausible source of help. Many of our candidates pour millions upon millions of pesos for their current television ads. For example, if they can just each pass two 30-second spots and channel such cost to help Gorres, the funds will mean a huge assistance to the boxer’s most important campaign for survival.
Local politicians may siphon a little money away from election propaganda and transfer it to Gorres. I am sure it will not be technical malversation. (Pardon, the pun.) And the lowly among us, we who enjoy most this sport, can forego a bottle of our favorite beer and send our savings for Gorres. This boxer is a symbol of our beloved sports. Any help we can give him, at this hour of need, is fountain of hope among all our ring gladiators. I wish that after you shall have read this article, you can prepare an envelope. On account of my modesty, mine is rather insignificant, but I have prepared my own envelope. I will call Mr. Aldeguer later today and ask him where I will bring this token.