Torres back on track

For a while, former World Boxing Organization (WBO) Intercontinental superflyweight champion Vernie Torres of Digos, Davao del Sur, was missing in action. After losing twice in a row to Colombian veteran Julio Coronel, Torres mysteriously disappeared from the fight scene.

Torres, 28, probably hid in shame. He was in pitiful shape against Coronel. In their first meeting in Mississippi last year, Torres took the fight at short notice because he needed the dough. He’d just arrived from a long furlough home and was broke. Torres clowned around, trying to make it appear that Coronel wasn’t in his class. When Coronel’s punches started to sting, Torres accused the Colombian of thumbing his right eye. Referee Fred Steinwinder stopped it in the seventh round when Torres refused to continue fighting.

In a Miami rematch last February, Torres should’ve been prepared to brawl. He wasn’t. Instead, he repeatedly hit below the belt and headbutted Coronel. Referee Jorge Alonso slapped two-point deductions on Torres for foul tactics and finally, disqualified him at 1:13 of the 12th round. It looked like the end of Torres’ once promising fistic carrer.

Torres invaded the US in 1999 and joined world lightheavyweight champion Roy Jones’ stable in Pensacola, Florida. The world was his for the taking. Torres impressed Jones’ trainer Alton Merkerson in the gym and became the stable’s rising star in the lower weight classes.

The quick-stepping, hard-punching and switch-hitting Filipino raced to a 9-1 record in the US and broke into the world’s top 10 ratings. Among his highly-regarded victims were Genaro Garcia of Mexico and Luis Alberto Perez of Nicaragua. Then came the Coronel disasters.

Luckily, Jones didn’t give up hope on Torres. Last Sept. 7 in Portland, Torres appeared in the undercard of Jones’ sixth round demolition of Clinton Woods. It looked like Torres was back in the groove of things. He pounded out a unanimous six-round decision over Julio Cesar Oyuela of Honduras. The scorecards read 60-55 twice and 58-56.

Fighting in a sixer was a demotion for Torres who’d already figured in several 12-rounders. But it was probably Jones’ way of teaching the kid a lesson. Back to square one, starting from scratch. That’s the price Torres had to pay for veering out of focus.

"Vernie fought well off the ropes and dug well to the body although could never stop Oyuela coming forward," reported Daniel Herbert in Boxing News. "Julio Cesar fell behind because his work was less accurate and his hands slower. The loser finished with a bump on his left cheek but played his part in a good scrap. Oyuela took the fight to Torres who boxed mostly southpaw but occasionally switched. They traded non-stop in the first, drawing appreciative applause, then settled down to a lesser–but still considerable–pace."

The win raised Torres’ record to 23-4, with 13 knockouts. His only losses were to Felix Marfa, David Vasquez, and Coronel twice. Torres, who grew up dreaming dreams of ring fame and fortune with Manny Pacquiao, should realize if he hopes to duplicate his boyhood pal’s success, he’s got to keep his head on his shoulders.

Postscript. Oscar de la Hoya won’t be required to make a mandatory defense against Russian Roman Karmazin after all. Last July, the previously unbeaten Karmazin lost a unanimous 12-round decision to Javier Castillejo of Spain. Since de la Hoya defeated Castillejo to capture the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) superwelterweight title last year, it’s unlikely they will be ordered to face off in a rematch. De la Hoya will likely entertain a defense against Vernon Forrest, a unification duel against International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Winky Wright or a grudge rematch against Felix Trinidad. Another possibility is moving up to challenge middleweight king Bernard Hopkins…The late Martin Urra’s junior is playing for the La Salle seniors as a rookie in the UAAP basketball tournament. Urra, Sr. died of cancer of the lungs last Sept. 11 at the age of 71. The Negros Occidental native played for the La Salle juniors and seniors squads then joined Yco. He played on the national team that won the Asian Games gold medal under coach Tito Eduque in 1956. Urra also suited up for the Philippines squad at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics under coach Leo Prieto. He is survived by wife Nina Santos and children Martin Jr., Santos David and Carlos Miguel. He was buried at the Manila Memorial Park last Saturday… Once more, our friends Carissa Sindiong and Maureen Ferrer are announcing a blockbuster deal–for September, a new one-year subscription or renewal to your favorite magazine (Maxim, Slam, F1 Racing and other titles distributed by Emerald Headway) earns a five percent discount plus a free issue. The promo applies only to subscriptions of at least 10 issues a year. For details, call 647-4744 or 66 or visit www.emeraldheadway.com.