Remembering Da Flash

He would’ve been 67 on March 25. Flash Elorde died too young–he was only 49 when he succumbed to lung cancer in 1985.

But his memory lives on. His legacy is forever. No other Filipino fighter was as legendary or as courageous. He had a heart as big as a mountain. In the ring, he fought like a tiger. Outside the ring, he lived for others.

To be sure, there was a regal flair about him–a kingly aura. He liked to wear snazzy clothes and drive flashy cars, his favorite was a Mustang. He dabbled in golf, archery, shooting and basketball. And he loved to smoke, his biggest vice.

Elorde gave much of himself. He donated chunks of his ring earnings to charity. He built a church and an orphanage. He looked after nuns. He made sure his seven children wouldn’t experience the poverty he suffered as a boy picking up loose change shining shoes, cleaning homes, selling ice cream in the streets, and working pins in a bowling alley.

In 1983, Elorde was honored as the greatest junior lightweight champion ever at the 20th anniversary banquet of the World Boxing (WBC) in New York City. He topped a poll conducted by the WBC and outvoted Alexis Arguello, Alfredo Escalera, Johnny Dundee, Rafael Limon, and Bobby Chacon for the honor.

In 1993, Elorde was enshrined at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. He was the first Asian to be inducted.

The former bootblack from Bogo, Cebu, was the longest reigning world 130-pound titlist and ruled for seven years and 91 days from 1960 to 1967. He logged 10 successful championship defenses before losing the throne to Yoshiaki Numata on points in Tokyo. Among the challengers he repulsed were Sergio Caprari of Italy, Auburn (Flash) Copeland, Joey Lopes, Johnny Bizarro, Love Allotey of Ghana, Vicente Derado of Argentina, Suh Kang Il of South Korea, and Teruo Kosaka of Japan.

Elorde halted Harold Gomes in the seventh round to wrest the world junior lightweight diadem at the Araneta Coliseum in 1960. He stopped Gomes in a single round in his first defense in San Francisco a few months later. Elorde took only a minute and 20 seconds to dispose of Gomes in the rematch which is in the record books as one of the 10 quickest title fights ever.

Elorde turned pro in 1951 and hung up his gloves in 1971 with a record of 88-25-2, including 34 KOs.

Elorde was the youngest of 16 children born to Luis, a carpenter and arnis artist, and Luisa Sanchez. When Elorde’s mother died, his father remarried Alberta Fernandez who had six children. Two of Elorde’s brothers were Tony – who was born inside a ring–and Ramon who became a Philippine champion in the 1970s. Elorde’s father died when he was over 100 years old.

In 1954, Elorde married his manager Lope (Papa) Sarreal’s daughter Laura who bore seven children – Maria Luisa, Gabriel Jr. or Bebot, Johnny, Teresa, Marty, Rita, and Maria Laurita. Only Johnny tried his luck in the ring. He was a gold medallist at the 1979 Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta. Today, Bebot, Johnny, and Marty own separate boxing stables.

Former Ring Magazine editor Nigel Collins once described Elorde as "the most celebrated fighter his country ever produced." Collins added: "Elorde turned pro at 16 after working as a shoeshine boy, dishwasher, street vendor and construction worker. A classic boxer-puncher, Elorde was always in an entertaining fight. It didn’t matter whether he won by decision or belted his opponent with crisp combination punching. Flash was the consummate professional. Elorde was also a champion outside the ring. It’s a shame he couldn’t have walked this planet a little longer. Both boxing and humanity in general could use more like him."

In a 1967 interview published in Ring World, Elorde spoke about his life:

"I do not forget the people who pushed me to where I am now, particularly my former managers and trainers. I remember when I could not afford to take my child out of the hospital. To support my family while training, I often asked my trainer to buy milk for my kids. Those were difficult days. I am thankful to life. Life has taught me to be strong and to love people. If you want success, you must want it passionately. The first time I presented myself to the manager of a gym in Cebu, I said, ‘Sir, I want to be a champion.’ No one believed me. But because I wanted it so much, God helped me to become a champion."