Indonesia challengers played us for fools
Ihad a bad feeling when I learned that Yo Armed, that Indonesian challenger who didn't put up a challenge to Jack Tepora, said that he would stop the champion in five rounds or less.
He didn't mince words. He just said that he was faster and stronger than Tepora. That was an alarm bell. Unknown boxers who utter those kinds of statement are usually unmasked as pretenders come fight night. Armed was no different. On fight night, when Armed spent more time warming up than actually fighting, I and the rest of the fans--the people behind Omega included--all thought, we got fed a bum. A bum boxer masquerading as a title challenger. Worse, Armed was the better of the two Indonesians; Christian Araneta's foe, Demsi Manufoe, fell from what looked like a phantom punch from my angle. I asked the reporters near the ring and they all said Araneta hit him.
But a knockout punch? No way, Jose, and no offense to Araneta. I've seen guys get knocked out, Manufoe got hit and decided in that split second, "Hey, this could be a knockout punch, I better stay down." Before that supposed hit, if Manufoe could spend 10 rounds running, he would. The fans were already jeering him because he refused to engage Araneta and in fact, he was in the process of dancing away when he got hit and decided to stay down.
I think even Araneta was disappointed the guy who promised to fight hard didn't get up.
"Dili nato ilaron atong kaugalingun," Opsi president Pio Castillo told reporters after the fight. He promised that they'll learn from all the negatives in their first foray into big-time boxing.
If OPSI bans whoever recommended those two Indonesian fighters from having any say in future foes in their boxing promotions, that would be a good lesson. Those two boxers robbed fans of a real fight and they made a mockery of a WBO title fight. I think WBO, too, should step in. I know promotional outfits pay a sanction fee for their title fights. There should be sanctions if someone their organization deems to be a worthy challenger isn't a challenger at all.
It's a pity. Fans who saw Araneta and Tepora for the first time that night would think, hey, they are undefeated because of bums like these guys?
Castillo said they are now looking at Mexicans, or even known Pinoy fighters for Tepora and I hope they do that. I've seen this guy fight and I've seen how he can stop foes dead in their tracks and matching him with guys like Armed was a step backward. Heck, if Armed was half the guy he claimed he was, that would have been a real test for Tepora.
Who's next for Tepora? Anybody but a guy like Armed, that would be great.