Sunday, March 02, 2008 Quijano: A gowing sport By Jingo Quijano Last Round
THE crowd was sparse and the show started late. There were also minor hiccups, like fighters failing to make weight and a missing judge.
But other than that, “URCC Cebu II: Visayan Pride” was a feast for my feral senses. The action was intense and the small-animated crowd was truly into it.
Helping me soak up the action (literally) was my high school batch-mate Robert John Velasco who came with lovely spouse Christine. Robert was so enamored with the action that in order to show his appreciation, he kept a steady trove of cold ones coming my way.
In no time, I felt like I wanted to tap out.
WEIGHTY MATTERS. The main event was anti-climactic though. Either Cary “The Prince” Bullos is that good, or his opponent was just overmatched. A few hours earlier, Cary had informed this writer that his opponent was about 10 pounds over the weight limit, but that he was not worried and would push through with the fight.
The end came in under two minutes. Cary nimbly sidestepped his bull-rushing opponent who crashed into the corner. Quick as a cat, Cary maneuvered behind him, raining blows on the back of his head as he fell. He had no choice but to cry uncle. And just like that, “The Prince” remains undefeated.
The biggest casualty was Cebuano Michael Arquillano who had been raring to fight. Unfortunately for him, his opponent John Armoganda, came in heavier by at least two lunch meals and a snack.
This is another concern that should be addressed by the URCC guys in the future. Had Cary opted to withdraw from the fight (which was well within his right) the event would have been left with no main draw.
In boxing, there are mandatory weigh-ins in pre-determined periods before the fight, just to monitor whether the fighters are managing their weight well, and which also ensures that they are losing the weight in a slow, safe manner.
REMATCH. I tried to accost Event Works president Renault Lao after the event, but this time he came prepared. He stayed a good six feet away from my molars and takedowns.
After convincing him I was not eager for a rematch, he gamely shared his thoughts. When asked if he was disappointed with the crowd turnout, Renault says, “That didn’t come as a surprise to us. Honestly we were quite happy with the turnout. MMA is still new for us Cebuanos despite its wide acceptance in Manila and abroad. But basing on the quality of the crowd we were able to draw, the prospect of URCC in Cebu is promising. It was a challenge filling up the venue and it was a bold step for us.”
The optimist that he is, Renault would rather not sweat the small stuff and thinks that there is a world out there to conquer. “Alvin (Aguilar) and I are bent on developing mixed martial arts and URCC in Cebu. We’re in this for the long haul. It was just our second run and we still in the process of fine-tuning our production to suit the Cebuano crowd. We are now planning to do title bouts and maybe even bring foreigners soon. URCC is on its 6th year in Manila and may soon go international.”
This observation is shared by the dean of boxing in Cebu Antonio “ALA” Aldeguer himself, who opined that one sure-fire way of capturing the public’s attention is to bring in foreign fighters.
MISSING IT. There are fights and there are fight-of-the-year candidates. And then there’s Israel Vasquez-Rafael Marquez. The first two installments of this top-tier war were pier 6 brawls.
Marquez won the first while Vasquez won the rematch. Today the fight will reportedly be shown on Solar Sports… Too bad it’s not on my cable provider’s roster of channels.
HE SAID IT. “This is the most important fight of my career. A win on Saturday will set me up for my entire life.” -Israel Vasquez on how much the third fight with Rafael Marquez means
THE LAST ROUND. And several more are on music maven Rey Tambis, who turns a year older this week. Cheers!
