The thousands who jammed the Island City Mall Car Park in Tagbilaran City ( some one hour south of Manila by plane) last Saturday and remained for hours to watch an excellent fight card aptly titled "Battle of the Undefeateated" featuring some of the most promising young fighters in action was unmistakable evidence that Tagbilaran City and indeed the province of Bohol have joined Cebu as the hotbed of boxing in the Philippines. [details]
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As far as can be told from Philippine boxing history, the Visayan islands (Cebu and the adjoining provinces of Leyte, Bohol and Negros) have always been the culture box of boxing and other martial arts (particularly Arnis) since the time of such Cebuano-speaking pioneer as Ceferino Garcia (who was from Leyte) and even all the way back to the Ilonggo speaking Pancho Villa. A cursory look at Filipinos who won world boxing crowns will show that there are more Visayans and Mindanao (Visayan transplants such as Pacquiao and Navarrete) natives in the list than those of any other ligua-ethnic subdivision.
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