Boxing is balletic and brutal at the same time. Its graceful footwork and The Matrix-like upper body movements are mesmerizing. Its precise and perfectly angled punches provide a thrill like no other. Yes, boxing is an art form. It is the sweet science. It is a beautiful sport.
That being said, boxing is flawed. Bad decisions have plagued the sport since time immemorial. Not only does it eat at the cheated fighters but also at the integrity of the sport itself. Recently, Filipino slugger Eumir Marcial took a beating in the Asian Games gold medal match, but not from his opponent inside the squared circle.
From the regional to the world stage, here are five controversial results that knocked down Philippine boxing:
Julyfer Bascon versus Adkhamjon Mukhiddinov
The Filipino light welterweight fighter faced Uzbekistan's Adkhamjon Mukhiddinov in the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships for his international debut. Midway through the first round, the two fighters unloaded forceful blows, with neither landing directly. More than anything, they literally got entangled, which caused an off-balanced Bascon to fall down.
In an instant, he got up and showed no signs of being hurt. Bosnian referee Tina Poletan, however, ruled it as a knockdown before deciding to award the Uzbek fighter the win via stoppage. It was unreal—like “Am I getting pranked?” unreal. Thankfully for the Philippine boxing team, the Davao del Norte’s fire kept burning. The following year, he came roaring back to win a gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games.
Nesthy Petecio versus Sena Irie
Petecio is not one to gripe after losing a great fight. Bested by Japanese bet Sena Irie in the Tokyo Olympics for the women’s featherweight gold, no bitter comments were heard from the pride of Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur. She was gracious in defeat as she was in victory.
But that doesn’t mean she’ll take things lying down amid unfair treatment. Petecio cried foul over her early exit in the 2018 Asian Games despite giving a stellar performance. Coming in as a medal favorite, the decorated Filipina fighter lived up to the billing but still lost China’s Yin Junhua via a 3-2 split decision. Petecio, along with many ring observers believed that the judges botched the verdict.
Eumir Marcial versus Tanglatihan Tuohetaerbieke
Marcial was supposed to have a storybook ending to his Asian Games campaign. Coming off an injury, fighting in a new weight class, and training with his wife alone in the US, he deserved to win a gold medal in Hangzhou, China. Well, he did, in the eyes of many.
With Marcial and home bet Tanglatihan Tuohetaerbieke winning a round apiece, the third canto of the men’s 80 kg finals became the decider, prompting the Filipino Olympic bronze medalist to let his fists fly. Visually, Marcial was connecting more and landing the heavier blows. The judges, though, had a different interpretation. To them, the Chinese boxer who ate so much leather was the clear-cut winner of the third round.
Despite the disappointing loss, Eumir is in high spirits. He’s already qualified for the Paris Games and is up and ready to fulfill his golden destiny.
Anthony Villanueva versus Stanislav Stepashkin
Villanueva entered the men’s featherweight finals of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics with cuts over both eyes after engaging in a semifinal slugfest against American pug Charley Brown. That right there says the eventual Philippine Sports Hall of Famer wouldn’t take a no for an answer in the battle for gold.
Villanueva fought like it as he bloodied and disfigured the face of Soviet Union’s Stanislav Stepashkin. By the end of the bout, both combatants were a mess. The crowd expected Villanueva’s hand to be raised and boxing scribes alluded that he had done enough to get the nod from the judges. To the ire of the pro-Filipino audience, the 3-2 decision was given to the Russian.
Three decades later, another feisty Filipino puncher encountered a similar fate.
Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco versus Daniel Petrov Bojilov
In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the diminutive Filipino light-flyweight made up for his lack of size with an elite combo of speed and skill. He did the same thing to Bulgaria’s Daniel Petrov Bojilov in the gold medal match and seemed to be on his way to capturing the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic crown.
Filipinos stayed up late to witness Onyok’s brilliance, only to get their hearts broken when the decision was announced. Yes, Velasco shockingly lost by a decisive margin. To make matters worse, he didn’t receive all the incentives promised to him by government officials at that time.
In 2021, he was given P500,000 as compensation for the unfulfilled pledges 25 years ago.
In the aftermath of that heartbreaking loss, the talented boxer out of Negros Occidental no longer pursued what was a promising boxing career. These days, Onyok is more well-known as a comedic actor more than the warrior he truly was.
For a country that loves boxing as much as it does basketball, these controversial decisions proved to be as heartbreaking to the fans as the Pinoy combatants themselves, who poured their all in search of victory for the country, only for it to be taken away by suspect judging.
(MDB)