Black Saturday

Fighting overseas is almost a no-win situation for Filipino beakbusters. You can count with your 10 fingers how many Filipinos have won abroad so far this year – Manny Pacquiao, Tiger Ari, Jess Maca, Randy Suico, and Rev Santillan, among the few.

Last Saturday was particularly bleak for Filipino fighters.

In Tijuana, Juanito Rubillar of Malolos was floored twice enroute to losing a lopsided 12-round decision to Jorge Arce in a fight for the interim World Boxing Council (WBC) lightflyweight title.

Rubillar, who’d won nine in a row and 14 of his last 15, promised he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He kept his word. Rubillar gave it all he had in the toe-to-toe war but Arce was just too strong. The Filipino was decked in the fourth and the 12th. But he finished the fight on his feet – at least, you’ve got to give him credit for surviving the tough, iron-fisted Mexican.

The scorecards weren’t close – 117-109, 119-107 and 117-109. It was Rubillar’s second attempt to win a world crown. In 1999, he was outpointed by Zolani Petelo of South Africa in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight championship fight in Petersborough, England.

The win raised Arce’s record to 28-3-1, with 21 KOs. He has lost only to Omar Romero, Jose Victor Burgos and Michael Carbajal. In October last year, Arce pulverized Philippine titleholder Jovan Presbitero in two in Mexico City.

Before the loss, Rubillar was the WBC’s No. 2 contender and WBC International 108-pound titlist.

In Bangkok, Dino Olivetti of Binan was stopped by unbeaten Napapol Kiatisakchokchai in the 10th round for the vacant WBC International superbantamweight throne. Pacquiao previously held the title and relinquished it to fight for the IBF crown.

On the same card, WBC bantamweight ruler Veerapol Sahaprom halted Boy Guevara in the seventh round of a non-title bout and WBC No. 2 superfeatherweight Sirimongkol Singamasak disposed of another Filipino Arman Molina in the third.

In Sydney, two-time world title challenger Arnel Barotillo of Catanduanes lost to Jackson Asiku on a sixth round technical decision for the vacant Australian featherweight diadem. Barotillo suffered a cut near his eye due to an accidental headbutt and was ruled unfit to continue, prompting referee Alex Lewis to go to the scorecards.

Last Oct. 12, Meiji CP Gym decisioned Daniel Diolan and Poonsawat Kratingdaeng-Gym beat Lee Escobido in a pair of 12-round Pan Asia Boxing Association (PABA) title bouts in Bangkok.

Last Sept. 21, Philippine welterweight champion Rey Pelonia was knocked out by Olympic and Asian Games gold medallist Mohammed Abudllaev in the second round in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Pelonia was stopped by Nader Hamdan in the fourth round of an IBF Pan Pacific junior welterweight title bout in Sydney last November.

Last Sept. 8, former world flyweight titleholder Saen Sor Ploenchit pounded out a unanimous 10-round decision over Joel Junio and PABA superfeatherweight champion Yodsanan 3-K Battery halted Fernando Montilla in four in Bangkok. On the same card, Yoddamrong Sithyodthong decisioned Jerol (Dodong) Sales in 10.

Last Aug. 22, journeyman Bert Bado was flattened by Steven Bendall in a single round in Hammanskraal, South Africa. He shouldn’t have been allowed to fight Bendall because under Games and Amusements Board (GAB) rules, a fighter cannot box for 45 days after suffering a knockout loss. Last July 13, Bado was halted by Shannon Taylor at 1:50 of the first in Australia. I wonder if the GAB has censured Bado for the violation?

Another casualty was Philippine featherweight champion Baby Lorona who last Aug. 11, was badly outclassed by Hector Acero Sanchez in a WBC Latin American 126-pound title fight in Miami. Lorona was floored in the second round and lost by scores of 120-107, 120-107, and 119-107.

Last April, Lorona was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico in the second round in Reno. On the same card, Jovy Chan Halog was knocked out by Marquez’ brother Rafael. Halog, who now lives in the US, was recently knocked out by David Santos in Texas.

Are Filipino fighters so lousy that most of them can’t seem to win the big bouts abroad? Could it be that they are poorly trained? Or are they deliberately overmatched to make them easy prey for hometown heroes? Surely, the GAB must look into this problem.

But wait. Things weren’t all that bad. Last July, veteran junior lightweight trialhorse Francis Velasquez scored an eighth round knockout over Kyu Chul Choi in Osan City, South Korea, in a major upset. Velasquez, 33, has fought in over 80 bouts and is still plying his trade. And there were those spectacular wins by Pacquiao, Ari, Maca, Suico and Santillan.