Pacquiao scores a joyful knockout

Pacquiao vs Clottey
By Recah Trinidad
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:38:00 03/02/2010

THE RIGHT STRAIGHT, thrown sharply like a spear, was not (yet) super but is definitely above average.

It’s however the scythe-like left hook, swift and power-packed, which should help greatly Julian Santos Chua in his goal to fight for the Philippines in the 2012 London Olympics.

Santos Chua, 18, was at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym over the weekend.

The kid has been described by the sweet-punching fight chronicler Michael Marley as a Golden Gloves champion from the Midwest.

Of course, despite his credentials, Julian could’ve not made it to Wild Card alone.

* * *

Credit goes to Hammering Hermie Rivera, said Marley.

For the record, the punches described in the first two sentences of this column were courtesy of YouTube.

But more than those inborn gifts, the sharp-eyed Marvelous Marley appeared convinced it was Julian’s dream meeting with Manny Pacquiao last Saturday which would prove the biggest influence and inspiration in the young fighter’s dream to box in London 2012.

“My goodness, even though he (Pacquiao) was busy and tired, he was so gracious,” said Santos Chua’s mother, Ronnet, a physician.

Pacquiao, as Marley would put it, was a joy of a knockout.

* * *

Julian was tearful and overjoyed by the honor of meeting Manny, the mother who was herself overwhelmed, explained.

Maybe it was the first time the lady doctor had seen her usually stoic kid get bowled over.

“Santos Chua has a double-sided dream of becoming the first Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal then go on to a pro career,” Marley reported.

Now, if that dream Olympic gold suddenly appears within reach for the Philippines, it’s all because of Pacquiao and his super trainer, Freddie Roach.

“Roach is set to attend to the young boxer and will start training him at the Wild Card gym on June 1, just right after Julian gets his high school diploma,” Marley confirmed.

* * *

What a thrill, indeed.

Of course, it’s a bit bothersome that Marley, despite his keenness, failed to mention Hermie Rivera’s whereabouts during that unforgettable encounter at the Nat’s Thai Restaurant around Wild Card.

Truth is there’ve been efforts from amateur boxing people in Manila to reopen communication lines with Hermie.

He could’ve been stalled by the happy turn of events over the weekend at Wild Card?

* * *

Anyway, wherever Mr. Rivera may be, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines is hereby offering to give Julian Santos Chua an all-expense tryout in Manila.

“He can bring his mother, if he cares to,” ABAP executive director Ed Picson told the Inquirer Monday.

Yes, Hermie Rivera has done everything so things could be in place for Santos Chua at Wild Card.

Everything is also in place for Hermie’s proposed tryout for Julian in Manila.

All Hammering Hermie has got to do is pick up the phone or answer his e-mail.

Or has Rivera also been floored by the menacing brownouts that have started to spread all over our luckless, dwarf-plagued Philippine Islands?

Source: sports.inquirer.net