CLOSE to 400 of the best cockers and gamefowl breeders in the United States, Canada, Australia the Philippines and other countries will fight it out with their roosters in this year’s World Slasher Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City which starts on Monday, January 23.
Organized by the Pintakasi of Champions, the 10-day event will also be participated by confirmed cockers and aficionados from Mexico, Kuwait, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan, making it the biggest edition of the competition so far.
Cockfighters from Vietnam and Cambodia and other countries, who attended the three-day World Gamefowl Expo at the World Trade Center have expressed their intention to be at the World Slasher Cup.
The foreign contingent that has reportedly confirmed to join the World Slasher Cup include Darrel Mack of Texas, and Hall of Famers Mike Formosa of Hawaii and Ray Alexander of Alabama, the two being prominent fixtures in the event.
Cockfighting enthusiasts from California, Utah, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Washington, Hawaii and Guam were the latest addition from the United States joining the event.
At a press conference on the event at the Novotel Hotel at the Araneta Center in Quezon City, organizers introduced some of the foreign and local participants in the World Slasher Cup.
Among the Americans vying in the event are Titing Ariosa and Erik Rosales of California, Tim Fritzgerald of Utah, Butch Cambra of Hawaii, Larry Whitehead of Tennessee, Dr. Bel Almojera of Chicago, Roger Roberts of Georgia, and Matthew Dunne, Cornelio Amby, Lester Chow, Ken Graham and Patrick Dunn of various states in US.
Noted cockers Rene Sonny Penalosa and Joey Melendres will lead the participants from Australia which Richard McCormick will come in from Canada.
World Slasher Cup is touted as the biggest international cockfighting event, known as the Olympics of Cockfighting and, at nearly 60 years at its home, the historic and iconic Smart Araneta Coliseum, is one of the world’s longest running gamefowl spectacle.
The World Slasher Cup 2017 is actually a 9-cock invitational derby featuring the best breeders and cockers and the finest winged warriors.
The competition begins with 2-cock eliminations on January 23 to January 25. Qualifiers will then move on to the 3-cock semi-finals set on January 26 to 29.
Individual entries with a score of 3.5 or 4 points will compete in the 4-cock pre-finals from January 29 to 31. Undefeated entries with a score of 4.5 or 5 points earn the chance to be named this year’s World Slasher Cup champion at the grand finals on February 1.
Last year’s World Slasher Cup II champion Magno Lim will defend his crown against the elite in cockfighting from America, the Philippines and many other countries.
Lim declared to Pit Games Magazine that he is ready for another thrilling event to be champion again.
“No matter what….I enjoy cockfighting,” the defending champion confessed oozing with confidence with his roosters. “I’ve seen the seemingly impossible happen before my eyes. For instance, just when I begin thinking I’m about to lose my fight, something quickly changes and the referee calls it in my favour.”
Lim’s entry under the banner MLG 63, with his teammate Gary Tesorero, won the pot money and the prestige at the 2016 World Slasher Cup II in May last year.
Earlier, 2016 World Slasher Cup 1 yielded tie champions, namely, the entries from Blueblade Farms AA, and Phoenix II (the team composed of Mario Villamor, Eddie Aparri and Art de Castro).
Aside from Magno Lim, Mario Villamor, Eddie Aparri and Art de Castro, members of the Filipino contingent will also include former champion Boy Marzo and Rep. Lawrence Wacnang of Apayao, among others.
The 2017 World Slasher Cup I is sponsored by Petron, Thunderbird, and B-Meg with partners like the Excellence Poultry and Livestock Specialists and Pit Games Media Inc.
For tickets and more information to 2017 World Slasher Cup, call Ticketnet at 911-5555.