Lost first title defenses
The Game my Life
The Philippines has no more world boxing champions, losing its last two just this month. On July 1, International Boxing Federation Minimumweight champ Rene Mark Cuarto gave up his belt to Mexican Daniel Valladares via split decision in Monterey, Mexico. That left World Boxing Council featherweight king Mark Magsayo as the country’s last world champion. Magsayo lost via split decision to Mexican Rey Vargas in Texas yesterday (related story on Page 15), leaving the slate empty. It was Magnifico’s first career defeat. Magsayo had just won the belt from Gary Russell Jr. in January. As recently as the start of this decade, the country had as many as six world boxing champions.
There are a lot of things that happen when one becomes a world boxing champion. Relief and a certain level of relaxation for finally ascending the summit come into play. Plus, you have the proverbial bullseye on your back. But Magsayo is far from being the only Filipino pugilist to lose in a maiden defense or immediately after becoming a world champion. The biggest names in the sport have faced the same situation at one point or another in their careers. Manny Pacquiao has won – and even relinquished – so many belts, it should be added motivation to his boxer, Magsayo. When he fought Boonsai Singsurat in September of 1999 , the 20-year-old Pacman had just claimed the WBC world flyweight crown by knocking out Gabriel Mira five months earlier. But Pacquiao did not make weight for the fight. Thus, the title was declared vacant, and at stake only for the Thai challenger, who won by TKO in the third round. Pacquiao went through a similar experience in 2017. After winning the World Boxing Organization world welterweight title from Jessie Vargas in November of 2016, Pacquiao lost the same championship to Jeff Horn via a questionable decision in Australia eight months later.
In 1983, Frank Cedeño made the leap from current Games and Amusements Board and former Orient Pacific Boxing Federation flyweight champion to world title contender. On Sept. 27 of that year, Cedeño knocked out Charlie Magri to become the WBC world flyweight champion. However, less than four months later, the Filipino would be on the receiving end of a vicious TKO at the hands of Koji Kobayashi. It would take almost three years and 10 more fights before Cedeño would get another crack at a world title. But the savvy Gilberto Roman would win over him via unanimous decision for the WBC world super flyweight crown. Cedeño never got another chance at a world championship.
From July 2018 to August of 2019, Vic Saludar was the World Boxing Organization mini-flyweight king. In February of 2021, Vicious overcame countryman Robert Paradero via split decision to win the vacant World Boxing Association world mini-flyweight title. Ten months and a day later, lost his belt to Dominican challenger Erick Pacheco, also by split decision.
Losing a world title in a first defense is not a death sentence. On the contrary, it can set one up for even greater heights. Muhammad Ali famously became the first man to win the world heavyweight championship three times. Losing a world title is a checkpoint, a measuring stick. Magsayo is a young, hard-working fighter. He has earned his place in Philippine boxing history. All he has to do is find another formula, a new strategy, to get back what was lost.