One-armed Cuello survives Mexico test

MANILA, Philippines - WBC No. 1 minimumweight contender Denver Cuello survived a harrowing scare when he outpointed Ivan Meneses with his right shoulder dislocated from the third round of a tenner in Morella, Mexico, recently and preserved his appointment with the winner of the Xiong Zhao Zhong-Javier Martinez eliminator for the 105-pound title early next year.

The other day, Cuello met taxi driver Pepito Sumalinog who returned his WBC Silver championship belt at the GMA-7 building on EDSA and gave a P5,000 reward. Cuello left the belt in Sumalinog’s Edopoba taxi, a Toyota Vios, last Monday night and was sleepless until he got it back.

Sumalinog, 44, picked up Cuello and three companions near SM Megamall at about 8 p.m. then dropped them off at Sta. Lucia Mall on Marcos Highway. Shortly after alighting, Cuello realized he had left the belt in a black bag in the taxi. GMA-7 filed a report on the missing belt in the morning show Unang Hirit then called on the finder to return it in the news program 24 Oras that night. The morning after, Sumalinog went to the GMA-7 office and surrendered the belt to broadcaster Mike Enriquez who gave a P1,000 reward. Cuello hurriedly went to the GMA-7 building to meet Sumalinog after he was told the driver was with Enriquez. Cuello, Sumalinog, broadcaster Chino Trinidad, network staff and this writer got together for lunch at Gerardo’s in front of the GMA-7 building last Wednesday.

Cuello’s manager Aljoe Jaro said the belt is worth $5,000 but more than the amount, it has sentimental value. The belt was awarded by the WBC to Cuello after he stopped Carlos Perez in one round in Mexico last year. “Denver worked hard for it,” said Jaro. “He was so upset when he left it in the taxi.”

Xiong and Martinez will slug it out for the vacant WBC minimumweight crown in Kunming, China, on Nov. 24. Jaro and Cuello will be at ringside to witness the fight. Xiong is ranked No. 6 by the WBC in the lightflyweight division and owns the WBC Silver 108-pound belt while Martinez is ranked No. 4 in the minimumweight class and is the WBC Silver international champion. Cuello, as the No. 1 contender, will be paid a step-aside fee of at least $25,000 for Xiong and Martinez to dispute the vacant throne on condition he fights the winner for the world title.

Cuello, 25, said he was paid $10,000 for the Meneses fight and with the step-aside fee, he hopes to buy a Honda Civic. Cuello, who rides a motorcycle to commute, will learn how to drive a car and may contract Sumalinog to teach him.

Against Meneses, Cuello said he almost quit. “I knocked Meneses down in the first round and when he got up, I went in to finish it,” he said. “As I moved in, a headbutt opened a big cut over my right eye and blood wouldn’t stop coming out. The ringside doctor wanted to stop it but I told him not to. I couldn’t see from my right eye. Then, in the third round, my right shoulder popped after I threw a right upper. I couldn’t raise my arm. I fought Meneses with just my left hand. Luckily, I’m left-handed. In the sixth round, the referee deducted a point from me for headbutting. I don’t know why I was deducted and Meneses wasn’t for butting me in the first round.”

The ringside physician threatened to stop the fight with blood gushing from Cuello’s wound in the sixth and seventh rounds but the Filipino begged to continue. In the ninth, Cuello was cornered and badly punished, unable to fend off Meneses with just one arm. “I thought of quitting but it was a matter of honor,” he said. “I couldn’t let our country down. I’m one fight away from a title shot. I didn’t want to throw it away. So I held on. When it was over, they raised my left arm because I couldn’t move my right.”

Cuello’s shoulder will be examined by orthopedic surgeon Dr. George Canlas at St. Luke’s Global City this morning. He said he’ll rest a few weeks before going back to the gym. Cuello said he hopes to fight the winner of the Xiong-Martinez bout in January in Manila.

Sumalinog said he was surprised to find the belt in his taxi. “I showed the belt to my wife Amelita when I got home to Caloocan that night,” he said. “I knew it was a boxing championship belt because it had pictures of famous fighters like Muhammad Ali. I kept it in the house because I was not on duty last Tuesday. Then, I brought it to Mr. Enriquez the next morning. The GMA-7 staff was very accommodating. They even showed me Denver’s fights on a TV monitor.” Sumalinog has been a taxi driver for over 10 years. He and his wife have two children Cookie, 12, and Patricia, 8.