Davao casualty an ex-champ

A former Oriental superwelterweight boxing champion was among the fatalities in the hideous Davao City airport bombing last Tuesday.

Arman Picar, 35, died when a bomb exploded in the waiting shed fronting the airport terminal building. Picar worked as a transportation dispatcher and offered his services to passengers coming out of the airport.

The waiting shed was where Picar hung around for customers. It was also where he was fated to die.

When Picar reigned as Oriental titleholder in 1993-94, his manager was Zander Khan, now Mayor of Jose Abad Santos, Davao del Sur. It was Khan who brought Picar to Las Vegas to challenge World Boxing Association (WBA) junior middleweight champion Julio Cesar Vasquez of Argentina in 1994. Picar was knocked out in the second round but his consolation was he pocketed the biggest purse–$25,000–of his career in the process.

Khan told The Star yesterday he was shocked by Picar’s death and expressed his condolences to his surviving family. Khan said he met Picar in Davao City last December and planned to hire the former fighter as the trainer of his amateur stable in Jose Abad Santos.

"Malungkot na malungkot ako," said Khan on the phone. "Mabait si Arman. Okay makisama. Ang balak ko was to bring him to Jose Abad Santos so he can train ‘yung mga amateur boxers namin. Mayroon kaming pinapagawang small gym at si Arman sana ang magpapatakbo once matapos. Sayang na sayang. Nagusap na kami ni Arman at payag na siyang lumipat sa amin sa Jose Abad Santos. We were just waiting for the gym to be finished."

Picar was the oldest of six children born to a poor carpenter and a Bagobo housewife. He grew up in South Cotabato fighting bigger kids in dark alleys and quit high school after second year. Trying to earn some extra money, Picar was paid P20 a day for ringing the huge church bell at the San Pedro Cathedral in Davao City and did other odd jobs. He also joined construction labor crews before deciding to make boxing a living.

Picar had no benefit of an amateur career. He didn’t need it. Fighting in backstreets and carnivals was enough toughening experience for Picar who turned pro as an 18-year-old in 1985.

Picar didn’t enjoy a particularly outstanding career as he compiled an 18-22-4 record, with 11 KOs, in 12 years as a pro. He fought in Japan, Korea, Australia and the US, gaining a reputation as a dangerous journeyman with a big punch. Picar held the Philippine welterweight, superwelterweight, and supermiddleweight titles aside from the Oriental 154-pound crown.

Picar’s biggest wins were a 12-round decision over Cisco Ferrer for the Philippine welterweight crown in 1991, a third round knockout over Fred Tadena for the Philippine superwelterweight diadem in 1993, and his stunning first round stoppage of Yung Kil Chung in Ahnsan, South Korea, for the Oriental superwelterweight title in 1994. In an eerie coincidence, both Ferrer and Tadena are now deceased. Ferrer died in a factory fire in South Korea a few years ago while Tadena passed away in his sleep. Now, Picar has died, too.

Picar was knocked out in three attempts for the Oriental title before facing Chung in his fourth bid on Christmas Day 1993. In his fourth try, Picar hit the jackpot. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, Picar stormed out of his corner like a wild bull. His first punch–a right straight–landed on Chung’s jaw and sent the Korean sprawling on the canvas. Chung, the WBA’s No. 2 contender, got up, his legs rubbery and his head spinning. Picar went in for the kill. Chung fell thrice more before the referee finally stepped in at 1:10 of the first round.

The win over Chung catapulted Picar to No. 5 in the WBA ratings.

Picar was training for his first Oriental title defense when Vasquez’ manager Luis Spada contacted Khan. Vasquez was booked to stake the WBA crown against Rafael Pineda but the challenger backed out. Spada asked Khan if Picar could fill in–on a 15-day notice–for a $25,000 purse in Las Vegas. It was an offer too good to refuse.

Picar left for Las Vegas with Khan, TV producer Rolly Baron, and trainer Manuel Donato five days before the fight. He was eight pounds over the limit when he landed in Las Vegas but made the weight at the 3 p.m. weigh-in the day before the bout after going on a crash diet of apples, kimchi, and orange juice.

Battling jet lag and dehydration, Picar was in no condition to fight Vasquez. The result was a massacre. Vasquez jumped on Picar from the opening bell and didn’t let up. Picar’s feeble reply was a series of three left jabs that snapped Vasquez’ head back late in the first round. Vasquez retaliated by digging a left uppercut into Picar’s gut and crashing a left to the head as the round ended.

In the second round, Vasquez continued to dominate. A right jab and an overhand left to the side of the head sent Picar down on his knees at the 1:24 mark. He got up at eight. Referee Mitch Halpern signaled the fight to continue and Vasquez quickly uncorked two lefts to the chin, flooring Picar once more. Picar courageously stood up and action was resumed. A left hook to the jaw was the coup de grace. Picar hit the canvas hard and Halpern didn’t bother to count. It was over at 2:05 of the second.

Despite the loss, Picar flew home to a hero’s welcome in Davao City. He was feted by City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as a special guest in celebrating Araw Ng Davao on March 11, 1994. At the time, Picar and his wife Evelyn Formentera had two children Jeric, 2, and Eileen, 4.

Picar retired from the ring after losing to Naotaka Hozumi in Japan by knockout in 1997. He lost eight of his last nine fights–the only win in the stretch, a fifth round knockout over Rolando Aldemir for the Philippine supermiddleweight crown in 1996.

Picar’s rise to fistic stardom was as quick as his fall. He will be remembered as a three-time Philippine champion, a former Oriental titlist, and a challenger who fought for a world crown against all odds amid the glamour and glitz of Las Vegas.