Saturday, December 22, 2007 Quijano: 50 thousand and 3 reasons why they should have fought By Jingo Quijano Last Round
ACCORDING to ABAP president Manny Lopez, their decision not to allow our boxers to finish their fights and lose via retirement in the recent SEA Games was a calculated move.
The Last Round sure hopes that the calculations were done correctly and that the boxer’s families were duly apprised of the math.
You see under Republic Act 9064, a gold medal winner gets P100, 000, a silver medalist receives P50, 000 and the bronze medalist receives P10, 000.
OTHER MEANS. Lopez also reportedly stated that the move protected their Olympic medal hopes and that it was the equivalent of taking a step backward and taking two steps forward.
Sorry sir, I beg to disagree. We took one step backward, turned our backs and made our boxers act like schmucks.
As a practicing attorney, I have learned that the best way to deal with a problem like corruption or bias, is to gather and collate evidence, interview and take statements of witnesses (if possible), make a strong case for it by presenting your arguments neatly and comprehensively to the proper entity and facing the quagmire head on.
In this particular case, Lopez claimed that he had information that that judges commission head Terry Smith of Wales spent two weeks vacationing in a Thai resort in Pattaya before the SEA Games as guest of the organizers.
If so, what was done with this information and what legal steps were taken to address this situation?
There’s also the issue of accountability. Our athletes use public funds for their training and other incidental expenses. How will the calculated strategy be justified?
THE JONES EXPERIENCE. Scoring controversies in amateur boxing have been plaguing it for decades. And it’s not even confined to our neck of the woods.
It’s common boxing trivia that Roy Jones Jr. was robbed of a gold medal in the Seoul Olympics. In fact, it was so disgusting it reportedly brought about the introduction of a computerized scoring system. The latter also leaves much to be desired, but the Jones experience proved that amateur boxing’s ills are prevalent and widespread.
But it also tells us that you can never put a good man down. Or rather rob a superior fighter of a deserving win. In the end, class always shows and the world knows.
Hence, our boxers sent the wrong message when they refused to continue with their fights. The best way to expose a fraud or an ongoing conspiracy would have been to showcase their superior skills and go for a knockout- the great equalizer.
A louder and clearer message would have been sent had our boxers chosen to fight their guts out and prove to the world that they are the better athletes, no matter how those myopic judges saw it.
RIGHT ON THE MANNY. A fellow columnist (who also happens to be our country’s premiere fighter) couldn’t have said it better.
“Ako bilang isa rin na boxer, alam ko ang naramdaman kapag dinaya sa laban.
Pero sa umpisa lang ako magcomplain, pagkatapos ay tinatanggap ko ano man ang naging resulta sa laban ko. Kasi that is part of our life as athlete. “Not good.” Ito ang sabi ko nung tanungin ako sa ginawa na nilang walkout,” Manny Pacquiao wrote in www. philboxing.com
Biased judging? Ridiculous scoring? Leave that to the synchronized swimming team to synchronize a protest. They can walk out (or swim out as the case may be). Or the Chess team to strategize an effective coup.
But boxers? They’re supposed to be made of sterner stuff. Score it the way you like Daddy Warbucks but I’m going to pummel this schmuck in front of me and take it out of your hands.
That should have been the battle-cry.
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on Chief Supt. Ronald Roderos- a true officer and a gentleman. Cheers!
