Espinosa rarin’ for comeback, gets new manager

Former two-time world boxing champion Luisito Espinosa is not riding into the sunset yet.

The Filipino champ, who failed in his title bid in his last attempt last January, has been abandoned by his former manager Boots Aniel, a US-based matchmaker, and has no intentions of coming back to the Philippines. At least, not at the moment.

Penniless after all the campaigns that brought him the bantamweight and featherweight titles, Espinosa, 34, is back to square one, earning a living for his family by working as a bartender in a California pub.

He is still training – seriously at that – in between his chores serving champagne and beer in hopes of getting one last crack at glory.

While he was in San Francisco, a Filipino friend 15 years back spotted him and tried to help the ex-champ gather the broken pieces and give him one chance to make it back to the pinnacle of his game.

The name is Noel Rivera, son of his former manager Hermie Rivera, now a boxing analyst for television. Noel and Louie were only 19 years old when they were introduced to each other by Hermie during the first years of his boxing career.

At that time, in 1986, Hermie brought Louie to the US to fulfill a promise he made to the boxer’s father Dio. The father, a waiter at the Malacañang Palace during the presidency of the late Ferdinand Marcos, approached Hermie if he could manage his son, who, he boasted was a "very, very good boxer."

When Da Apo was eased out of power, Hermie, a government information officer, lost his job, but Espinosa remained under his tutelage.

Louie fought thrice in the Bay Area, and won. Serving as their driver at that time was Hermie’s son Noel, who eventually became a close friend.

For many years both friends would not see each other. Louie came back to the Philippines to resume a boxing career which eventually earned him the world title in 1990. Incidentally, he became the country’s youngest champion at 21 and earned the monicker "The Earthquake" or "Lindol" because the fury of his fist was like that of the great earthquake that almost flattened Central Luzon and Baguio in the same month.

In the meantime, Louie took in a new manager, then another one, and another, but his biggest headaches were during the time he signed Japanese Joe Koizumi, whom he is still suing for his failure to get the $150,000 due him from his title bout in Koronadal, South Cotabato in 1997.

The biggest blunder was when he was made to fight for the title last January by his latest manager Aniel despite the fact that insiders said he was not in peak condition.

Noel is now faced with two problems in his role as Louie’s new manager. First he has to help Louie get compensation for his 1997 title bout. Then he has to put his man back on tiptop shape and arrange a bout on the fightcard of, possibly, a world championship.

Noel last week revived the case and ordered lawyers to file an expanded complaint against a former government official and other persons responsible for the non-payment of the boxer’s $150,000 championship purse in 1997.

Other than former South Cotabato Governor Larry de Pedro, promoters Rod Nazario and Lito Mondejar, the new charge sheet will include former Games and Amusements Board head Dominador Cepeda, chief supervisor of the world championship held in Koronadal, who reportedly forced Espinosa to go on with his title bout against challenger Carlos Rios despite the non-payment of his purse as per World Boxing Council ruling. He is also including in the amended complaint his former manager Joe Koizumi.

Espinosa retained his crown with a sensational sixth round knockout of the gutsy Argentine challenger. However, the manager said Espinosa was deprived of his prize money due to the failure of Cepeda to implement a basic ruling that purses should be paid in full during the weigh-in, which takes place a day before the fight.

He appealed to President Arroyo for help after an original charge he filed against de Pedro and other parties failed to get deserved attention from the courts.

The former bantamweight and featherweight champion says he’s taking this move out of deep frustration due to the blatant failure of the people who should have protected him.

Noel is currently putting Espinosa back in training and has arranged a comeback fight tentatively set in January.

During the recent unification bout in San Francisco between Manny Pacquiao and Agapito Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, Noel narrated that Louie and WBC president Jose Sulaiman had a heart-to-heart talk, with the Filipino asking: "Mr. Sulaiman, I would like to retire but give me one more chance to redeem my name and my crown."

Sulaiman’s classic response was "Let me know when, where and what weight and I will help you. You are one of our greatest champions ever. You are like a son to me."

Coming from the WBC president’s mouth itself, it looks like Luisito Espinosa is back on the road. At 34, his legs are not as young, but with a brave heart, the support of the WBC and a new manager, who knows he could stage one of the greatest comebacks in the game.