Remembering Filipino Great "Flash" Elorde

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

By Ronnie Nathanielsz - Gabriel "Flash" Elorde was the youngest in a family of sixteen, born into a poor farmer’s home in the town of Bogo. His poverty served not as a burden but as a challenge. [details]

[v.cassiusali@ya]

i remember that name Gabriel "Flash" Elorde... the so-called "greatest Filipino Boxer of all time". May the Philippines produce more boxers like the great Flash Elorde.

[Mr. Ryan]

I really enjoyed reading this article. Elorde's fighting style was the blueprint for how you win a 15 round fight. Elorde just came out and fought his ass off while making you miss enough to ruin your own rhythm. There is a class to the way he carried himself in the ring.

About the riot in The Garden after Elorde beat Frankie Narvaez, I remember reading in Sam Toperoff's book "Sugar Ray Leonard and Other Notable Warriors" about how the sportswriters sought refuge in Elorde's dressing room, where Elorde was lighting candles for the wreckless rioters. The way Toperoff described the situation was pretty funny.

[Piggu]

Oh, ****, I thought he was still alive. I was thinking about him yesterday. That's weird.

[grayfist]

Just some minor points to set the record straight:

1. The Ortiz KO in the second fight was not the first time that Elorde failed to rise after hitting the canvass. A Filipino whose ring moniker was Kid Independence holds that distinction. Independence floored and stopped Elorde in the 10th round in 1951. The KO was also Elorde's first official loss. Old Cebuano boxing fans throw this information around as a "boxing trivia test".

2. Ortiz was not the only fighter who won twice over Elorde. Japan's Sheiji Kaneko bested the Filipino great not only twice but thrice-- first in a non-title contest then in an OPBF Featherweight title fight, then, again, in a Jr. Lightweight non-title bout.

In their second fight, Elorde was trying to regain the crown he had lost to compatriot, Larry Bataan, and which Bataan had lost to Kaneko (4th round KO).

Kaneko held the OPBF crown until he retired. He was never given a world title shot, although he also fought and was TKO'd by Sandy Saddler in a non-title encounter.

3. Contrary to popular belief, Elorde was not leading on the scorecards when the second fight against Saddler was stopped. The three judges had it: Ray Flores, 65- 67; Eddie James, 65-67 and John Bassinelli- 65-67 all for Saddler. I am not sure, but I suspect that Ray Flores was (is?) a Filipino.

It is true however that Saddler used every means fair or foul to beat Elorde. He did the same when Elorde beat him in their first meeting. He did the same for much of his career.

Note:The 2nd Elorde fight was Saddler's 160th outing. He hid the fact that he was already suffering from fading eyesight. He fought twice more after beating Elorde, winning once and losing his last fight, then retired for good.

The Narvaez riot was quite something. There was a building construction that was going on accross MSG and rioters crossed the street, picked up steel bars, blocks of cement, etc. and flung them on anybody and everybody.

I hope that my pointing out these facts is not interpreted as an attempt to denegrate Elorde, the fighter and the man. He was great as both, and these facts do not diminish his greatness. They're simply historical facts.

[kadyo's]

That was one class pinoy act that pacman needs to emulate.

[kadyo's]

Just some minor points to set the record straight:

1. The Ortiz KO in the second fight was not the first time that Elorde failed to rise after hitting the canvass. A Filipino whose ring moniker was Kid Independence holds that distinction. Independence floored and stopped Elorde in the 10th round in 1951. The KO was also Elorde's first official loss. Old Cebuano boxing fans throw this information around as a "boxing trivia test".

2. Ortiz was not the only fighter who won twice over Elorde. Japan's Sheiji Kaneko also bested the Filipino great twice-- first in a non-title contest then in an OPBF Featherweight title fight. Elorde was trying to regain the crown he had lost to compatriot, Larry Bataan, and which Bataan had lost to Kaneko (4th round KO).

3. Contrary to popular belief, Elorde was not leading on the scorecards when the second fight against Saddler was stopped. The three judges had it: Ray Flores, 65- 67 Saddler; Eddie James, 65-67 and John Bassinelli- 65-67. I am not sure, but I suspect that Ray Flores was (is?) a Filipino.

It is true however that Saddler used every means fair or foul to beat Elorde. He did the same when Elorde beat him in their first meeting. He did the same for much of his career.

Note:The Elorde fight was Saddler's 160th outing. He hid the fact that he was already suffering from fading eyesight. He fought twice more after beating Elorde, winning once and losing his last fight, then retired for good.

The Narvaez riot was quite something. There was a building construction that was going on accross MSG and rioters crossed the street, picked up steel bars, blocks of cement, etc. and flung them on anybody and everybody.

I hope that my pointing out these facts is not interpreted as an attempt to denegrate Elorde, the fighter and the man. He was great as both, and these facts do not diminish his greatness. They're simply historical facts.

Nice additional infos you have there buddy. Happy New Year my friend.

[grayfist]

Nice additional infos you have there buddy. Happy New Year my friend.

Hullo there, buddy!

Just tossin' in what little I know...

A very happy and prosperous one to you too, amigo!

Another one for trivia buffs: Elorde always wore his old faded blue robe to his title fights--most, if not all of his title fights. I wonder if the Elorde clan was able to preserve it.

[grayfist]

Another Filipino great who is not getting a well-deserved notice is LITTLE DADO.

The NBA World Flyweight champion won 50 fights since his debut in 1936 and lost none, until he faced the Korean-American, David Kiu Kong Young, who also had a victory against another Filipino great named Dado: Dado Marino.

Little Dado retired with a record of only three losses in 58 contests, and all three losses were to the same person: Young. And it was only Young who managed to stop Dado: by TKO 8 in Dado's last fight.

For a time, Little Dado held the California versions of the World Flyweight title and the World Bantamweight title, simultaneously.

He was born on New Year's Day, 1916 in Negros island in the Philippines. He died in 1965.