BY ATTY. ED C. TOLENTINO COLUMNIST

More than taking away Miguel Cotto’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship, Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao will look to score for the Philippines a major victory over Puerto Rico inside the squared circle. After feasting on the best fighters Mexico has to offer, Pacquiao has switched menu and is planning to add to his list of high-profile victims the most popular boxer in Puerto Rico today. It does not figure to be an easy task, especially when one considers that Puerto Rico enjoys a sizeable lead over the Philippines in head-to-head boxing meetings.

“Filipino boxers have recently surged to create a name for themselves,” mused WBO junior featherweight champion and Caguas, Puerto Rico native, Juan Manuel Lopez. “The difference is Filipinos like to come forward, while we like to box a bit more. But the Filipino boxer is quick and even though he comes forward they box also. So they have a style that while it is not the same, it is similar to ours. And because of their physical characteristics which is similar to us, we could create a great and respectful boxing rivalry between our countries.”

Pacquiao-Cotto is the fifth world title fight this year that involves a Filipino and a Puerto Rican. Lopez got the rivalry rolling in April, when he became the first fighter to stop Gerry Peñalosa. Peñalosa took Juanma’s best shots before his corner decided to throw in the towel in the 10th round.

Two months later, Puerto Rico made it 2-0 when WBO light flyweight champion Ivan Calderon salvaged a disputed six-round draw against Rodel Mayol. A clash of heads rendered Calderon unfit to continue. Under WBO rules, the fight went to the scorecards. One judge gave the fight to Calderon (58-56) while another scored it for Mayol (58-56). The third judge had a draw at 57-57. In a stalemate, the defending champion retains his title.

Calderon and Mayol hooked it up once more on September 12 and the Puerto Rican again escaped with a close technical decision victory. The fight was halted after seven rounds because of another clash of heads. Calderon (33-0-1, 16 knockouts) retained the WBO plum via split decision, as he was ahead on two scorecards (68-65) at the time the fight was halted.

Calderon, 34, has been a world champion since 2003. In 2005, he stopped Noel Tunacao in eight rounds to retain the WBO minimumweight title.

Making up for Mayol’s loss to Calderon was 19-year-old punching phenom “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona, who outgunned veteran Jose “Carita” Lopez of Puerto Rico in 12 rounds on September 4 for the WBO super flyweight title.

Elorde vs. Ortiz

Pacquiao will be looking to chalk up win number two for the Filipinos this year. PacMan’s showdown with Cotto is easily the biggest in the rivalry since February 1964, when then world lightweight champion Carlos Ortiz took on junior lightweight king Gabriel “Flash” Elorde before an estimated crowd of 30,000 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Ortiz, a native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, survived Elorde’s assault in the second round to stop Elorde via a 14th round technical knockout. Referee James Wilson stopped the fight with Elorde absorbing a heavy shelling and on the verge of a knockdown. Elorde protested the stoppage, but it was clear he was a beaten man. In a gesture of sportsmanship, Ortiz approached Elorde and whispered to the latter: “Elorde, you are a great champion.”

Elorde and Ortiz met in a rematch in November 1966 at the famed Madison Square Garden. Ortiz pitched a shutout in 14 rounds. “The Flash couldn’t seem to get going,” wrote Associated Press writer Jack Hand.
“Elorde got in only two light blows to the head in the first round. Ortiz worked Elorde with stinging jabs and hard rights to the stomach.”

Elorde was flat on his back at 2:01 of the 14th round. In one scorecard, the Filipino did not win a single round. “Elorde was just a punching bag,” said Billy Daly, Ortiz’s manager.

“It was as though an ambulance had brought Elorde to the Garden already hurt . . . never was Elorde involved in this parody of a fight,” wrote American journalist Jimmy Cannon in the World Journal Tribune.

The New York State Athletic Commission revoked the license of Elorde after the fight, but Elorde fought on, eventually losing the junior lightweight title to Yoshiaki Numata in June 1967.

The Philippine-Puerto Rico rivalry took on a more somber tone the decade following Ortiz’s triumph over Elorde. In April 1976, World Boxing Association (WBA) junior lightweight champ Ben Villaflor barely retained his title with a draw against Sammy Serrano. In a rematch held in October of the same year,
Serrano formally claimed the WBA crown with a unanimous decision win over Villaflor. Villaflor never fought again and retired with a record of 54-8 with 31 knockouts.

In April 2001, Viesques, Puerto Rico native Nelson Dieppa hammered Andy Tabanas in 11 rounds to win the WBO light flyweight title.

Eight years later, the Philippine-Puerto Rico rivalry is back in the limelight with Pacquiao and Cotto taking center stage.