Garcia, Papa belong in Hall of Fame

Is there a conspiracy against Asians in the annual balloting to choose the inductees to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York?

Since the Hall was established in 1990, only four Asians have been enshrined among 226 honorees. They were Flash Elorde, Khaosai Galaxy, and Fighting Harada in the modern division and Pancho Villa in the oldtimer category. Significantly, two were Filipinos – Elorde, the longest reigning world junior lightweight champion ever, and Villa, the first Asian world titlist.

The Hall recognizes four classes – pioneer (those who fought in the bare-knuckle era or up to 1892), oldtimer (those who fought from the bare-knuckle era up to 1942), modern (fighters who retired from 1942 and must have hung up their gloves for at least five years), and non-participant (non-fighters such as promoters, matchmakers, managers, trainers, patrons, referees, writers, broadcasters, and cutmen – retirement is not a requisite).

Elorde was the first Asian to be inducted in 1993. Villa came next in 1994 then Harada in 1995 and Galaxy in 1999. Harada, a Japanese buzzsaw, was the first fighter to capture both the world flyweight and bantamweight titles. Galaxy held the World Boxing Association (WBA) junior bantamweight crown for seven years and logged 19 successful defenses before retiring in 1991.

In the modern class, I can’t understand why former world middleweight champion Ceferino Garcia is still unnamed. The oversight is glaring. Garcia was inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1977 – his enshrinement in Canastota is long overdue.

Garcia, a Tondo streetfighter, captured the middleweight crown via a seventh round knockout over Fred Apostoli in New York in October 1939. In his first defense two months later, he halted Glenn Lee in the 13th round in Manila. Garcia was held to a draw by the legendary Henry Armstrong, the only fighter ever to hold three world titles simultaneously, in his second defense in March 1940. He was dethroned by Ken Overlin on points in New York after two months.

The bolo punch was Garcia’s most dreaded weapon. He developed the blow – a combination uppercut and half-hook driven by a windmill pitch – wielding a bolo knife as a boy in sugar cane fields. The punch was later copied and made popular by Cuban welterweight Kid Gavilan, a Hall of Famer. Garcia, the first fighter to floor Hall of Famer and war hero Barney Ross, had two unsuccessful bids to wrest the welterweight crown before claiming the middleweight title. He died in San Diego in 1981 at the age of 69.

In the non-participant category, matchmaker extraordinaire Lope (Papa) Sarreal, Sr. should have been honored years ago. Papa had a hand in crowing over 20 world champions of various nationalities during his heyday. Among his world titlists were his son-in-law Flash Elorde, Saensak Muangsurin, undefeated Masao Ohba, and Ricardo Arredondo of Mexico.

Sarreal introduced big-time boxing in Japan, Thailand, and Korea in the 1960s. He hobnobbed with the likes of Ring Magazine publisher Nat Fleischer, promoter George Parnassus, and Hawaiian impresario Sad Sam Ichinose – who are all Hall of Famers as non-participants. Surely, Sarreal should be recognized if only for his pioneering efforts in opening up the Asian market for pro boxing.

Sarreal died in 1995 at the age of 90. At his funeral, influential Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda, former Oriental junior lightweight champion Yukio Katsumata and Orient and Pacific Boxing Federation president Frank Quill of Australia flew in to pay their respects to the Grand Old Man of Asian boxing.

Last year, cartoonist Bill Gallo, publicist Lester Bromberg, cutman Ralph Citro and trainer George Benton – among others — were inducted as non-participants. I shudder at the thought of a cartoonist beating Sarreal to the Hall of Fame. That’s an injustice.

In the modern category, such legendary Asian fighters as Pone Kingpetch, Hiroyuki Ebihara, Yoshio Shirai, Ohba, Ben Villaflor, Muangsurin, Ellyas Pical, Soo Hwan Hong, Samart Payakaroon, Myung Woo Yuh, and Chartchai Chionoi continue to be snubbed by Hall of Fame voters. Five years after Luisito Espinosa finally retires, he, too, should be enshrined.

A committee of boxing historians nominates the Hall of Fame candidates each year. Votes are then cast by boxing experts, historians and writers from all over the world, including Australia, South Africa, Italy, Canada, Argentina, Japan, and the US.

Let’s campaign for Garcia and Sarreal to be inducted. Write to Ed Brophy of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum at 1 Hall of Fame Drive, Canastota, New York 13032, USA or fax him at (315) 697-5356. Check out the Hall website at www.IBHOF.com.