Anything Under the Sun
West Visayan boxers
With the recently great triumph Manny Pacquiao over Erik Morales, it is time to remember our own pre-war boxing greats in the Visayas.
In 1925, Pancho Villa (Francisco Guilledo) became the first Filipino world boxing champion. The entire Filipino nation rejoiced - but most of all the West Visayans, because he was from Ilog, Negros Occidental.
A lowly vaquero (cowherd), in La Carlota, he left the ranch after he was whipped by his master. He went to Iloilo where he worked as shine shoe boy and later, stevedore at Muelle Loney. Still later, he turned to boxing and trained at the Iloilo Boxing Stadium.
After a good showing in Iloilo, he went to Manila where he eliminated his rivals and was sent to the United States. In 1925, after several victories, he gained the flyweight world crown after defeating British Jimmy Wilde.
That same year, Pancho Villa reportedly died of blood poisoning from a tooth ailment after a ring fight. However, some claimed that he was murdered by the American underworld who lost bets in his fights.
For his deeds, the Filipinos sang a refrain "A little chap who put the islands on the map across the seas". He also popularized the "Pancho Villa pomade".
Then came Small Montano (Benjamin Gam) of La Carlota, Negros Occidental, the second Filipino world flyweight champion after defeating Midget Wolfgast in 1935.
Next was Little Dado (Eleuterio Zapanta) of La Carlota, Negros Occidental became the third Filipino world flyweight champion after defeating fellow West Visayan Small Montano.
Then Speed Cabanela who has never been knocked out in his boxing career won his Orient flyweight championship in 1936 when he defeated Young Santos. He was also Orient bantamweight champion.
And lastly, Young Tommy was bantamweight champion of the Orient.
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The first set of five booklets (Books 1 to 5) of West Visayas Beautiful and Wonderful authored by this writer is now available at P500 at his office address at No. 4, Santa Ana St., Molo, Iloilo City 5000 (Tel. No. 337-3045). We are starting the second set (Books 6-10) this January.