Gabriel "Flash" Elorde

Today, January 2 marks the death anniversary of the late Gabriel "Flash" Elorde. Now, I don't know a lot about Elorde because his career ended before I was born. However, I have heard a lot about him from Filipino and international boxing writers and analysts. He is also regarded by most as the greatest Filipino boxer of all-time.

Here is an article written in tribute of this great Pinoy boxing legend:

REMEMBERING 'FLASH' ELORDE by Ronnie Nathanielsz

Gabriel "Flash" Elorde was the youngest in a family of sixteen, born into a poor farmer’s home in the town of Bogo. His poverty served not as a burden but as a challenge.

Elorde walked off the streets of Cebu where he worked as a pier hand, a dishwasher on an inter-island cargo boat and a pinboy in a bowling alley to punch his way to the world junior lightweight crown, in the process winning international acclaim and the hearts of millions of his countrymen.

The Philippines has been blessed with a long line of remarkable champions from Pancho Villa to Ceferino Garcia and in more recent times the incredible Manny Pacquiao. But in the fascinating history of boxing, Gabriel "Flash" Elorde stands out as the greatest of all time, not merely for his incredible skill and raw courage but even more so for the exemplary human qualities that shone like a beacon among the heroes of our time.

One of the greatest fighters to ever come out of the Asia-Pacific region, Elorde was born on March 25, 1935 and turned professional when he was barely 16.

An excellent boxer, the famed southpaw became an oriental champion at all weights - from bantamweight to lightweight.
In an active career Elorde had 44 title fights, 15 for world titles, and was involved in at least one every year from 1952 to 1967.
Read the rest of this article at Philboxing.com

Elorde also has a great record and fought great fighters like Sandy Saddler. You can personally check his fight record People say that he was a great man inside and outside the ring. he also had the same electrifying and unifying effect as Philippine boxing icon, Manny Pacquiao.

I hope that we will have more boxing greats like Pacquiao and Elorde in the future. Boxing is currently enjoying a "golden age" as we have four world champions and an elite boxing icon. We should use this time to develop our country's boxing program so that we will have more boxing greats in the future. Let me end this post with a picture of Elorde in action against fellow Hall of Famer, Sandy Saddler.

More Filipino Boxing Updates

Manny Pacquiao Training Camp


After reaching the halfway point of his training for his rematch against the great Marco Antonio Barrera, Pinoy boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao is on schedule with his preparations. Despite the minor distractions from his Philippine boxing fans and a bout of flu, Pacquiao's weight is now at 136 pounds. This means that he will be able to make the 130 lb. limit for the rematch with Barrera. Manny Pacquiao's current weight also places him way below the maximum 143 pounds or 64.864 kilos set by the WBC for a fighter to weigh 30 days before a fight under the super featherweight division.

According to WBC Rule 4.6, fighters should undergo compulsory "safety weigh-ins" 30 days and seven days prior to their fights. This rule was instituted in 1997 and was ratified during the 2nd WBC World Boxing Medical Congress last April 30 in Quintana Roo, Mexico. It addresses the safety concerns involved in a boxer losing too much weight during intense training.


Denoy Scheduled to Defend Title in Thailand

Reigning WBO Asia Pacific light flyweight Along Denoy will defend his title in a rematch with Kaichon Sor Vorapin that will be held in Bangkok on October 3. Denoy took the tile away from Kaichon last July 13 with a spectacular fifth round TKO win.

This will be the third meeting between Philippine boxing prospect, Denoy and Kaichon. Denoy lost by a sixth round technical decision in their first encounter on July 8, 2005. Denoy currently has a record of 15-6-1 with 8 knockouts while Kaichon who has a record of 25-10 with 9 knockouts.

The First Pinoy World Champion

For today's post, I decided to feature the first Filipino World Champion. Francisco Guilledo was best known as Pancho Villa, the legendary World flyweight champion. He stood only five feet tall and never weighed more than 114 pounds but he is now considered as one of the best boxers to ever coma out of Asia. However, he is also remembered for the strange circumstances that surrounded his death when he was at his prime at the young age of twenty three.

Francisco was was born in Negros Occidental, in a little town called Ilog. He sailed to Iloilo City to work as a bootblack, to support his family after his father abandoned them. He befriended a local boxer while he was working in Iloilo,, and together they migrated to Manila, settling in Tondo.

He soon attracted the attention of local boxing promoters after he was seen occasionally sparring with friends. He fought his first professional fight in 1919 and became the Philippine flyweight champion within two years.

Pancho Villa received an invitation from famed boxing promoter Tex Rickard to fight in the United States in May, 1922. He accepted the invitation, and sailed to America to seek boxing glory.

On June 7, 1922, he won his first overseas fight against Abe Attel Goldstein in Jersey City. After more impressive performance in the ring, he was slated to fight against the American flyweight champion Johnny Buff on September 15, 1922.

He defeated Buff by knocking out the champion in the 11th round to win the American flyweight championship. Despite losing the championship in his next fight on a controversial decision, Pancho villa was chosen to fight Jimmy Wilde, the reigning Wold Flyweight Champion.

At the Polo Grounds in New York, Villa was cheered on to victory over Wilde by over 20,000 fans screaming "Viva Villa!" a crashing right to Wilde's jaw in the 7th round gave the belt to Villa buy way of a knockout. Those who witnessed the fight, described Villa as relentless as he pummeled Wilde with both hands en route to the KO victory.

He defended his world flyweight champion successfully several times and never relinquished it until his death just two years later. Villa returned to a heroes He welcome in Manila in September 1924, feted with a parade and a reception at Malacañan Palace. He also returned to his old haunts in Iloilo and his hometown in Negros.

He returned to the United States to prepare for his next match, against Jimmy McLarnin. This was a a non-title fight scheduled for July 4, 1925, at Ewing Field in Oakland. However, Villa's face became swollen due to an ulcerated tooth a few days leading to the fight.

Villa went to a dentist to have the tooth extracted on the morning of the fight, according to contemporary newspaper accounts, on the morning of the fight. He insisted on going ahead with fight with McLarnin despite suffering from the pain and swelling. Villa managed to stay the distance and lost by decision ven if he spent most of the fight using one hand to protect his afflicted face.

Villa had three more teeth extracted after an infection was discovered a few days after the McLarnin fight. However, he a spent the next few days carousing with friends against his dentist's prescription of bed rest. His condition worsened thereafter to the point that he had to be rushed to the hospital on July 13, 1925.

It was then discovered that the infection had spread to Villa's throat, resulting in Ludwig's angina. He was rushed into surgery, but he lapsed into a coma while on the table, and died the following day, July 14, 1925.

Thus ended the life of the first Pinoy World champion. In October of 1961, Villa was added by Ring Magazine to its own boxing hall of fame. He was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994 becoming the second Filipino boxer so honored after Flash Elorde.