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Monday, August 15, 2005
Sayson: The first cut is the deepest
By Homer Sayson
Second Overtime
CHICAGO – After Z Gorres was bashed by the media for a one-bout fling with mediocrity last July 31 in Manila, the expectation was that Gorres’ manager, boxing godfather Antonio L. Aldeguer, would blow a gasket and condemn those who sprayed graffiti on his fighter’s image.
Sorry to disappoint you, guys. Just like his boxers, who intrepidly tolerate pain, Mr. Aldeguer is permissive to criticisms. ALA is not an onion with thin, sensitive layers. He is a liberal, with a mind that is more open than a 24-hour gas station.
Mr. Aldeguer sent me an e-mail last Friday. He thanked me for the “refreshing write-up” I made on Gorres that day (“Dream on: Go easy on Kid Zorro”), and he revealed the dismay Z had felt following the unfavorable ink about his “supposedly lackluster performance against Deeden Kengkarun.”
ALA is flabbergasted: “I really can’t understand why Z Gorres had to be castigated just because he failed to impress some people who witnessed the fight. Yes, I must admit that he could have done better, but one must take into account that athletes do have their ‘off-day’ and that could probably be one for Gorres.”
Well, Mr. Aldeguer, I couldn’t comprehend it, either.
I do, however, I see clearly where the critics are coming from. Billed as “the next best thing,” they measured Gorres at a higher standard, expecting nothing less than Z fashioning out a sensationally brutal stoppage.
But in the eagerness to quench their thirst for blood and gore, the critics conveniently forgot that Z earned a 100-88 nod on all judges’ scorecards, winning the bout with the ease of a Durano landslide election.
Too bad Z couldn’t muster the flair of an early knockout, but his 10-round shutout was just as important to his cause as a contender crusading to be a world champ.
The supposed lack of fire and a glorious finishing kick were the largest nails used to crucify Z. But after revisiting that fight, based on news accounts I read and interviews made, Z was cut early, and when that cut flirted becoming a real nasty gash, Gorres shifted to a different gear, like a horse slowing down to a canter.
Still, Z is determined to get his reputation back, said Aldeguer. “I guess that for all the negative reviews Gorres got from his recent fight, he only now has to redeem himself to prove his detractors wrong. And that is what he aims to do.”
Great fighters, it was once said, are always one good fight away from redemption. Talent-wise, Z is in that class of rarified pugs, thus my confidence that he will continue to box his way to the top.
RAHMAN WINS. A supposedly huge boxing promotion took place in my backyard last night, at the United Center where the Bulls play. Slumping from work after a long day, I considered shelling out $39.95 for the pay-per-view event.
I’m so glad I didn’t.
After reading news reports on the event, it seemed that Hasim Rahman’s unanimous decision win over Monte Barrett was as much fun as watching paint dry. It had more “stops than starts,” said Maxboxing.com of the fight that earned Rahman the right to challenge WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.
Beneath Rahman’s unspectacular win, Fernando Mayorga won the vacant WBC super welterweight crown by beating a hapless Michele Picarillo. But despite fighting a low-caliber foe, Mayorga couldn’t make good on the promise to knock out the Italian in the first minute of the first round.
His win against Picarillo made Mayorga (27-5-1, 22 KOs) somewhat relevant again, but the fear that he once induced upon his foes had long since departed.
CALL FROM THE ADLAWANS. Lawyer Noel Adlawan, an old pal since my Colegio del Santo Nino days, gave me a surprise call last Thursday night. Together with his adorable wife, Jugce, also a brilliant lawyer, Noel is here in the States for a well-deserved vacation.
The Adlawans are all over the place, racking up more miles than a diplomat. One day they’re in New York chilling with friends, and the next day they’re in Washington D.C., knocking on President George W. Bush’s front door at the White House. They’ve also been to Universal Studios, to Disneyland, to the Lincoln Memorial.
Life is beautiful.
Noel is heading back home to Cebu, where his budding law practice awaits. But Jugce, now cooling her heels in majestic San Fernando Valley, California, is staying around for a while. She will “definitely” watch the Pacquiao-Harnandez fight at the Staples Center and she invited me to come along.
You see, Noel and Jugce are close friends with Franklin “Jing” Gacay, Manny Pacquiao’s General Santos-based lawyer. Through Jing, the Adlawans promised to arrange for an interview with PacMan when the Pacquiao-Morales rematch takes place.
How nice.
(homsay@hotmail.com)
(August 15, 2005 issue)
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