Saturday, April 14, 2007 Quijano: Of Solis and solace By Jingo Quijano Last Round
WITH the way the media buildup has been going, one is lulled into believing that Jorge Solis actually has a chance against Manny Pacquiao.
Well, not even all the beer here in Dapa, Siargao Island, where this writer is currently based, will make Solis look like a lean and mean Erik Morales in his first fight with Pacquiao.
Not that I actually tried it, but I must confess that the amount of alcohol I’ve been imbibing lately has got me imagining this scenario during a totally inebriated state with the aid of the my trusty frosty, frothy beer mug which doubles as a crystal ball.
It’s late in the third round, and Pacquiao has backed Solis into a corner.
Manny feints right and throws a left. It lands smack on Solis’ exposed chin, and he crumples into the ground like he has been bludgeoned by a sack of rocks. But he shows heart and manages to beat the count. Pacquiao charges at him.
This time he feints left and bobs his head. Solis doesn’t commit. Manny backs up and suddenly unleashes an uppercut. Bang! It almost sounds like Solis has been shot. The bell rings and Solis staggers back into his corner.
Manny’s corner is elated. It’s time to finish it, they say. A confident and relaxed Manny looks around the audience and lo and behold spots who else but his political adversary, Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, eagerly cheering him on. Manny blinks his eyes just to make sure they are not deceiving him.
It’s really her, he says. Then someone from the crowd shouts: “Go for it Congressman!” Manny smiles to acknowledge his beloved constituent, unaware that the bell had already rung and a battered but determined Solis has already crept up on his right eager to unleash a desperate blow.
Just in the nick of time, our hero realizes the danger he is in and deftly parries a seemingly weak jab thrown his way, however unaware of the deadly right hand following it.
Manny is down! Manny is down! The esteemed Ronnie Nathanielz screams into his headphones. The Philippines grinds into a halt as if suspended in animation. One…two….three…. Manny slowly gets up. Four….Five… Six…He is wobbly but manages to beat the count. Solis goes for the kill.
He is eager to end the fight now and exact revenge on behalf of his Mexican countrymen…eager to prove that he is better than Morales, Marquez and Barrera. But sadly, these men were made of better ilk and were forged from much fiercer competition.
His eagerness lands him straight into a deadly left hand, a punch Manny has thrown so many times, he can knock you out with it even in his sleep. Manny throws it with perfection, and perfection cannot be denied its fruition.
The referee goes through the motions of counting out Solis even though with the way he is sprawled on the ground, it looks like he will not be waking up till next Sunday.
Manny is both elated and humbled. He knows that it was a close call. He knows he better not make the same mistake next time. He knows it was stupid of him to get distracted. He knows that he…No wait, where was that guy who called out to me from the crowd, he asks himself. He cranes his neck searching for him, eager to shake his hand and immediately start his campaign, but he is nowhere to be found. Even Cong. Custodio has mysteriously disappeared.
No, it can’t be, he tells himself. No one would stoop that low, he mutters. A horde of reporters converge upon him and he quickly dismisses the thought from his mind and concentrates on his next bout which is to be held in a different ring.
And I mercifully drift into slumber, seeking solace here in the white sands of my beloved Dapa.
LITO THE BRAVE. The Last Round tolls the bell for Lito Sisnorio, who recently died in Thailand after being knocked out by Chatchai Sasakul.
Whatever the outcome of the current investigation, what is apparent is that Lito was clearly the victim of terrible matchmaking.
Going into the fight, Lito had lost his last three and carried a paltry record of 10-5 with only 3KOs.
He was clearly in way over his head when he fought Sasakul, a former WBC flyweight champ with a fearsome record of 59-3 with 38 KOs.
THE LAST ROUND. Today’s last round is on Junie Butawan, my Latagaw brod who is fondly known as the “Black T”. Cheers!
