April Joy Seville
STC Media Intern

HE IS no Manny Pacquiao and he isn’t as famous as his stablemates, but for Jun “Flash Mongo” Intor, boxing is a serious business.

Even if he doesn’t seem that way in the ring.

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As a boxer, Intor only has 9 wins, 6 losses, 5 draws.

But as ALA gym’s cook, he is the undisputed best.

Intor, whose passion for boxing brought him to Cebu City at the age of 22, had an inclination for the sport ever since he was a child.

Then, it was just a game that he and his playmates used to play.

“Back in our place, there were a lot of people who loved to box, but there was no one to manage them. We just got to fight during fiestas,” Intor said in Cebuano.

Intor grew up in Mabinay in Negros Oriental, a province known for the native delicacy called Bodbod Tanjay. He studied at the Samac Elementary School and also graduated at Mabinay National High School.

Because of financial constraints, he was not able to fulfill his dream of taking up criminology and be part of the Philippine National Police.

At 22, he transferred to Cebu to try his luck at professional boxing.

Though he did get to join the vaunted ALA gym, he wasn’t wearing boxing mitts.

Instead, Flash Mongo was assigned to the kitchen.

“Mongo maoy pirmi ipaluto. Mao napud ilang gi ring name,” said Intor, who dreams of facing Daniel Ponce de Leon, the former WBO super bantamweight champion, some day.

Dependable

“He makes the best mongos. He cooks well. He is very responsible and dependable. He is very systematic. He has great time management for himself. He is unbelievable,” said ALA gym owner and Intor’s manager, Antonio L. Aldeguer.

Intor developed his talent both in the ring and the kitchen by watching his parents. His father is a driver who is a passionate fan of the sport, while his mother stays at home, and does most of the cooking.

It was this great time management skill that allowed Intor, while being the gym’s designated cook, to be a professional boxer. He got his debut against Phil Angcamor on Jan. 30, 2005.

Though he doesn’t get the big title fights, Intor said the few thousand pesos he earns fighting in Cebu is a lot better than the cash prizes in the province, which is usually between P400 and P800.

In the kitchen, his favorites are utan bisaya, that was taught to him by the wife of ALA’s driver, kare-kare, pochero, tinuwa nga isda, spaghetti and his famous mongos.

In the ring, Flash Mongo, who now also goes as Flash Intor, idolizes the Welshman Joe Calzaghe, whose comic style he adopted.

Joker

“Kana mao say style nga akong gisunod. Joker siya mudula. Kung maglantaw ka sa duwa, malingaw ka kay dili seryoso,” he said with a grin.

He said he likes such style because it unnerves his foes.

“Masuko ang kontra, di kaigo. Maulit man. Mawala sa focus kung masuko,” said Intor, whose wife gave birth to a son just last July 2.

When he isn’t busy preparing the meals, he regularly trains with best friend Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista and jogs with him for three hours a day.

Lamberto Intisi, Intor’s trainor, is all praises and said, “He really follows your instructions. He’s very OK and he doesn’t give you any headache. Buotan kaayo nga pagka boxer.”

In the ring, his manager, ALA, who gave him the monicker Flash Mongo, also gave him a glowing recommendation.

“I call him Mr. Entertainment. Win or lose, he gives the best. People love him for what he is,” Aldeguer said.

And also for his mean mongos.