WE fail to understand why Games and Amusements Board chairman Ramon “Monju” Guanzon flatly refuses to listen to the reasoned presentation of the Alliance of Boxing Associations of the Philippines or ABAP to allow two of our Olympic hopefuls Mark Anthony Barriga and Charly Suarez to leave the country to compete in a tournament of the international governing body AIBA, which is sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee.
Guanzon has arrogantly if not abrasively refused to listen to ABAP president Ricky Vargas and executive director Ed Picson, who have both made it abundantly clear that if Barriga and Suarez give into his demand that they register with the GAB and secure professional boxers licenses, they would be disqualified from competing in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
His answer, even to us, that “it’s their problem” borders on the stupid, because Barriga and Suarez are representing our country not just any old hick illegal promoter or matchmaker, who sends GAB licensed fighters abroad to countries like Thailand without the proper clearances, only to serve as fodder for Thais looking to improve their win-loss records.
In an unmitigated show of non-existent power, Guanzon threatened to obtain a hold-departure order from the Bureau of Immigration to stop the two young boxers from leaving for abroad.
To begin with, these are not criminals. Besides, there is no way Guanzon can force any fighter to secure a license if he doesn’t want to. It’s a voluntary act, nothing more, nothing less.
Rather than going after legitimate fighters seeking to bring honor and glory to our country by chasing an elusive Olympic gold medal, Guanzon should spend his time (much of which is being spent in his hometown of Bacolod City) to go after unscrupulous matchmakers and technically illegal recruiters, who ship Filipino boxers abroad to be led to the slaughter without the necessary clearances.
There are scores of such cases, which Guanzon must know about, but has done nothing we know of to stop the practice.
In the latest incident, well-known boxing manager/promoter Dante Almario has raised the case of his fighter Angelito Merin, whose real name is Chapito Rivera, who was on a 90-day medical suspension after he lost by a ninth-round TKO last Dec. 13. But to Almario’s surprise, his boxer fought in Thailand last Feb. 14 and lost by a unanimous six-round decision to Norasing Kokietgym on the same card, where two other Filipinos Lionel Legarda, who fought for the WBO Oriental light flyweight title, and Joan Imperial, who also saw action.
Boxrec.com reported that Merin used the name Chapito Rivera and was listed as making his “debut,” while we learned that the corner-men of Legarda and Imperial acted as Merin’ cornermen.
The GAB has been rather notorious for disciplining boxers, who violate the rules, but has done nothing to bring to justice the crooked matchmakers/promoters, who smuggle fighters abroad in the process risking the fighter’s lives, capitalizing on their hardship.
At the GAB convention last year, the issue was brought up but up to now Guanzon, who talks tough has done nothing to bring the culprits to justice, but instead wastes his agency’s time and resources trying to stop legitimate Olympic hopefuls from seeking to bring honor to themselves and glory to our country.