Nightmarish memories

In the spirit of Halloween, we are listing the 10 most nightmarish moments involving Filipino boxers in bouts staged here. They will forever be buried in the pages of chronicles detailing how the hometown crowd was disheartened and exasperated by the turn of events. There have been harrowing experiences of Filipino fighters abroad, especially those who were robbed of victory by partisan referees or judges, but none can compare with the dejection of losing before family and friends in their own country.

• Flash Elorde lost to Carlos Ortiz, 14th round TKO, world lightweight championship, Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium, Feb. 15, 1964. Elorde, 28, was the reigning world junior lightweight titlist who won the crown via a seventh round stoppage of Harold Gomes to inaugurate the Araneta Coliseum in 1960. In his first attempt to capture a world crown, D’Flash was stopped on cuts by featherweight king Sandy Saddler at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1956. Against Ortiz, Elorde moved up in weight to try to win a second title. The Filipino hero battled courageously but couldn’t match Ortiz’ savvy and firepower. Referee Jimmy Wilson stopped it at 1:44 of the 14th with the three judges scoring it for Ortiz – Wilson 64-50, The Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer 62- 58 and Filipino Alfredo Quiazon 61-59. Two years later, Elorde was knocked out by Ortiz in the 14th round in a rematch at Madison Square Garden.

• Johnny Jamito lost to Eder Jofre, 12th round TKO, world bantamweight championship, Araneta Coliseum, May 18, 1963. Jamito, 23, won eight in a row before challenging the legendary Brazilian but had little to show when the bell rang. He was floored before the end of the 11th and didn’t come out for the next round. The scores at the time of Jamito’s surrender were 57-43, 54-48 and 54-49. Jofre eventually retired in 1976 with a record of 72-24, including 50 KOs. His only losses were to Japanese Fighting Harada, both on points.

• Tirso del Rosario lost to Manuel Ortiz, unanimous decision, world bantamweight championship, Rizal Memorial Stadium, Dec. 20, 1947. Ortiz, a Californian, pounded out a 15-round verdict over Del Rosario with sole arbiter Willie Whittle, the referee, scoring it 12-0-3 in terms of rounds won. During the fight, the late Ninoy Aquino’s father Benigno Sr. suffered a fatal heart attack watching at ringside. Del Rosario was 27 at the time. In 1951, Del Rosario outpointed Ortiz in a rematch in Manila with the Oriental title at stake. It was Del Rosario’s last fight. Ortiz went on to box until 1955 and ended his career with a 100-28-3 record, including 54 KOs.

• Bert Somodio lost to Joe Brown, unanimous decision, world lightweight championship, Araneta Coliseum, Oct. 28, 1961. Somodio, known as the Nursery Kid, packed dynamite in his fists but couldn’t overcome the crafty “Ole Bones” Brown who dropped the Filipino challenger in the fifth and 11th. Referee Arch Hindman scored it 74-62 and the two other judges, 71-66 twice. Jamito entered the ring boasting of victories over Mexico’s Cisco Andrade and Venezuela’s Vicente Rivas.

**** • Roberto Cruz lost to Eddie Perkins, unanimous decision, WBC junior welterweight title, Rizal Memorial Stadium, June 15, 1963. The 5-9 1/2 Filipino from Baguio City won the vacant crown on a shock first round knockout over Mexico’s Raymundo ( Battling) Torres at the Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles in March 1963. In his first defense, Cruz took on Perkins with the dice loaded in his favor as the three judges were Filipinos. Perkins, however, was unfazed by the hostile circumstances and promptly floored Cruz in the first round. Cruz was never the same again. Scoring referee Teodorico Reyes saw it 73-63 while Pee Wee Trinidad 72-63 and Jaime Valencia 73-67, all for Perkins who went on to compile a 74-20-2 record and retired in 1975. Cruz was gunned down in a rubout in his Nueva Ecija farm during his retirement.

• Erbito Salvarria lost to Alfonso Lopez, 15th round knockout, WBA flyweight championship, Araneta Coliseum, Feb. 27, 1976. Two-time world flyweight titleholder Salavarria staked his title against the unbeaten Lopez, a Panamanian, and was halted in the last stanza. Referee was Filipino Carlos (Sonny) Padilla. Salavarria was recently cited by Boxing News of London as one of the best fighters to emerge from 1970. Boxing News writer Matt Christie said Salavarria’s second round disposal of Thai legend Chartchai Chionoi in Bangkok was one of the year’s great victories.

• Dodie Boy Peñalosa lost to Hilario (Sugar) Zapata, unanimous decision, WBA flyweight championship, University of Life stadium, July 5, 1986. Peñalosa, 23, was the world lightflyweight champion when he challenged Zapata for the WBA 112-pound title. Handicapped by a shorter and thinner left leg decimated by polio as a boy, Peñalosa couldn’t catch the elusive Panamanian who waltzed to a win on points. South African Stanley Christodoulou was the referee. The three judges saw Zapata the winner with Bernie Soto scoring it 148-139, Fritz Werner 145-143 and Lou Tabat 144-142. Peñalosa relinquished his lightflyweight throne three months later and the next year, invaded Incheon to knock out Hi Sup Shin for the IBF flyweight diadem.

**** • Luisito Espinosa lost to Israel Contreras, fifth round knockout, WBA bantamweight championship, Araneta Coliseum, Oct. 19, 1991. Espinosa, 24, had difficulty making the 118-pound limit and was drained when he faced Contreras in his third defense of the title. He was ahead on the three judges scorecards when the end came at 2:16 of the fifth. The Venezuelan challenger hammered Espinosa’s body from start to finish until the Filipino crumpled to the canvas unable to continue. Referee was Roberto Ramirez Sr. The judges had Espinosa ahead at the time of the stoppage with Rodolfo Hill scoring it 38-37, Fritz Werner 39-36 and Richard Strange 39-35. Four years later, Espinosa captured the WBC featherweight title which he held for four years with seven successful defenses.

• Brian Viloria lost to Carlos Tamara, 12th round knockout, IBF lightflyweight title, Cuneta Astrodome, Jan. 23, 2010. A year before, Viloria stopped Mexico’s Ulises Solis to wrest the IBF 108-pound title at the Araneta Coliseum. The Hawaiian Punch led on two of the three judges scorecards when he ran out of steam and absorbed heavy bombardment until referee Bruce McTavish stepped in at 1:45 of the final canto. Two judges saw Viloria on top, Jose Garcia 106-103 and Ray Reed 105-104 with Somsak Sirianani dissenting, 105-104 for the Colombian. A year later, Viloria took the WBO flyweight crown from Julio Cesar Miranda and on Nov. 17, will defend it for the third time against WBA champion Hernan ( Tyson) Marquez in a unification showdown in Los Angeles.

• A. J. Banal lost to Pungluang Sor Siryu, ninth round TKO, vacant WBO bantamweight championship, Mall of Asia Arena, Oct. 20, 2012. Banal, 23, gave it his all until referee Tony Weeks signalled the end at 1:45 of the ninth. Judge Robert Hoyle had Banal ahead, 77-74, at the time of the stoppage but the two other judges saw the Thai on top, Raul Caiz Jr. 76-75 and Levi Martinez, 76-75. It was a bitter loss for Banal who had won 11 in a row since capitulating to Rafael Concepcion on a 10th round stoppage for the interim WBA superflyweight title in Cebu in 2008. But like Viloria and Espinosa who lost title fights in Manila, Banal is expected to bounce back with a vengeance sooner than later.