Final bell for Toti, maker of boxing champs
January 7, 2001 | 12:00am
It was around 8 p.m. on New Years Eve when boxing trainer Rolando (Toti) Sangalang, known in fistic circles as "The Maker of Champions," motioned to his wife Florencia and son Rolando, Jr. to stand by his bedside in their Imus, Cavite home.
Toti, bedridden for a month, looked sad like he knew the end was near. Since he was diagnosed to be suffering from throat cancer two years ago, Toti fought courageously. Last March, he underwent a major operation to remove his voice box and esophagus. He communicated with a pencil and paper then when he lost the drive to write, used hand gestures.
Rolando, Jr., or Sonny Totis only son who is involved in boxing saw his father wave goodbye. Totis eyes closed and he fell into a deep sleep. At 3:15 the next morning, Toti was gone.
Toti fought a good fight. At the peak of his treatment, his weight plummeted from 118 to 94 pounds. The treatment included over 35 cobalt doses and three months in the hospital. Doctors bore a hole in his neck and he ate only blended food through a tube inserted into his stomach. His medicine expenses went beyond P300,000. San Miguel Corp. chairman Eduardo (Danding) Cojuangco was Totis biggest silent benefactor.
Last May two months after his surgery, Toti went to watch the Gerry Peñalosa-Pone Saengmorakot fight at the Casino Filipino on lawyer Rudy Saluds invitation. It was the last bout he attended. Sonny said as cancer ravaged his fathers body, Toti suffered quietly. Toti never complained but Sonny noticed that he had lost interest reading the sports pages in newspapers and watching fights on TV.
Toti was 66 when the final bell rang. He is survived by wife Florencia, a public school teacher, four children Edgardo, 31, Sonny, 30, Florence, 27, and Ian, 23 and two grandchildren, Amina, 6, and Mariella, 2.
Toti was once a flyweight fighter. He compiled a 29-5 record then decided to train boxers, instead of fight them, in 1959. Hes handled hundreds of pros and made world champions out of Erbito Salavarria, Luisito Espinosa, and Morris East. From earning 10 percent of his fighters purses, Toti was able to buy a 400-square-meter house and a lot in Imus and an owner-type jeep. His last champion was Raffy Montalban who reigned as Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight titlist until his retirement last year.
Boxing wasnt only a livelihood for Toti. It was his life. He proudly pointed out that he sent all his children to school through boxing. Edgardo studies computer science and lives in Yokohama with his wife and daughter. Sonny took up electronics and communications engineering at Lyceum and trains eight fighters. Florence graduated at Imus Institute and works for an appliance company. Ian earned a management degree at La Salle Dasmariñas and is employed at San Miguel Corp.
The fight game took Toti all over the world to Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Thailand, Korea, and Japan. During his travels, Toti met the worlds best fighters and trainers. He singled out the Kronk gyms Emanuel Steward as the best trainer and Sugar Ray Robinson the best fighter of all time. Flash Elorde was his choice as the best Filipino boxer ever.
Toti will always be remembered as the gravel-voiced boxing expert with a keen eye for talent and a knack for developing champions.
Toti, bedridden for a month, looked sad like he knew the end was near. Since he was diagnosed to be suffering from throat cancer two years ago, Toti fought courageously. Last March, he underwent a major operation to remove his voice box and esophagus. He communicated with a pencil and paper then when he lost the drive to write, used hand gestures.
Rolando, Jr., or Sonny Totis only son who is involved in boxing saw his father wave goodbye. Totis eyes closed and he fell into a deep sleep. At 3:15 the next morning, Toti was gone.
Toti fought a good fight. At the peak of his treatment, his weight plummeted from 118 to 94 pounds. The treatment included over 35 cobalt doses and three months in the hospital. Doctors bore a hole in his neck and he ate only blended food through a tube inserted into his stomach. His medicine expenses went beyond P300,000. San Miguel Corp. chairman Eduardo (Danding) Cojuangco was Totis biggest silent benefactor.
Last May two months after his surgery, Toti went to watch the Gerry Peñalosa-Pone Saengmorakot fight at the Casino Filipino on lawyer Rudy Saluds invitation. It was the last bout he attended. Sonny said as cancer ravaged his fathers body, Toti suffered quietly. Toti never complained but Sonny noticed that he had lost interest reading the sports pages in newspapers and watching fights on TV.
Toti was 66 when the final bell rang. He is survived by wife Florencia, a public school teacher, four children Edgardo, 31, Sonny, 30, Florence, 27, and Ian, 23 and two grandchildren, Amina, 6, and Mariella, 2.
Toti was once a flyweight fighter. He compiled a 29-5 record then decided to train boxers, instead of fight them, in 1959. Hes handled hundreds of pros and made world champions out of Erbito Salavarria, Luisito Espinosa, and Morris East. From earning 10 percent of his fighters purses, Toti was able to buy a 400-square-meter house and a lot in Imus and an owner-type jeep. His last champion was Raffy Montalban who reigned as Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight titlist until his retirement last year.
Boxing wasnt only a livelihood for Toti. It was his life. He proudly pointed out that he sent all his children to school through boxing. Edgardo studies computer science and lives in Yokohama with his wife and daughter. Sonny took up electronics and communications engineering at Lyceum and trains eight fighters. Florence graduated at Imus Institute and works for an appliance company. Ian earned a management degree at La Salle Dasmariñas and is employed at San Miguel Corp.
The fight game took Toti all over the world to Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Thailand, Korea, and Japan. During his travels, Toti met the worlds best fighters and trainers. He singled out the Kronk gyms Emanuel Steward as the best trainer and Sugar Ray Robinson the best fighter of all time. Flash Elorde was his choice as the best Filipino boxer ever.
Toti will always be remembered as the gravel-voiced boxing expert with a keen eye for talent and a knack for developing champions.
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