With only a week to go before flyweight champion Edrin "The Sting" Dapudong defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) silver title against Mexican flyweight champion Wilbert Uicab in Cancun, Mexico, Braveheart Boxing Club's chief trainer Noli Pinol is starting to feel the heavy burden on both his and Dapudong's shoulders.
"I know many skeptics are thinking that you were just lucky when you knocked out Jesus Jimenez last June 19 and they are expecting you to fall in the way of the other flash-in-the-pan boxing heroes," Noli, younger brother of BBC owner Manny Pinol, told Edrin as he was warming up prior to hitting the mitts held by BBC co-trainer and conditioning coach Justin Fortune at the Fortune Gym in Hollywood Friday.
"Let's prove them wrong. Let's go out there on Sept. 17 and prove to all doubters that you are for real," Noli told his boxer.
But Noli does not take it against the skeptics.
"Of course, we can't blame them. Many boxers have been paraded in the media as the next Manny Pacquiao only to wilt under pressure," he said as he rattled off the names of Marvin Sonsona, Bernabe Concepcion, Richie Mepranum, Rodel Mayol and even Ciso Morales, all of whom have fallen in the wayside in the face of far superior opponents.
Noli said he is confident that the 24-year-old farmer's son from M'lang, North Cotabato, called the "Barefoot Boxing Prince" by journalist Recah Trinidad, has what it takes to be a reliable carrier of the Philippines boxing torch.
"Mas preparado si Bungis (Dapudong's nickname) ngayon kaysa noong lumaban sya kay Jimenez," Noli said. (Bungis is better prepared now than when he fought Jimenez.)
Early in June this year, Dapudong was asked to come in as a last minute opponent for Mexican No. 1 Pound for Pound fighter and World Ranked No. 1 Jesus "Zurdito" Jimenez for the vacant WBC Silver Flyweight title, formerly known as the Interim Title.
With barely two weeks to prepare, three days of which he spent queueing up at the US embassy in Manila to apply for a transit visa, Dapudong shocked Mexican boxing when he knocked out Jimenez in the first round of a scheduled 12.
That feat propelled the virtually unknown fighter from North Cotabato to greater heights. The US-based boxrec.com, the international boxing website that keeps records and ranks fighters worldwide based on their performances, ranked the 5' 5" tall Dapudong No. 3 Pound for Pound in the Philippines after Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire.
Boxrec.com also ranked Dapudong No. 3 best flyweight in the world.
In spite of these rankings, however, Dapudong's talent remains unappreciated. While the TV rights for the fights of the flash-in-the-pan boxing heroes were gobbled up instantly by big television networks in the Philippines, ESPN is still peddling the TV rights of the Dapudong-Uicab championship bout with less than 10 days to go before the fight.
But all these things, Noli is taking in stride.
"Sige lang. The time will come when people will realize that the boxers coming from North Cotabato who are not as known as the fighters from Cebu and Manila, will prove to the Filipino boxing fans that they deserve a second look," said Noli.
Noli is confident that the deep boxing foundation of the fighters from North Cotabato will help them excel.
"Dapudong is not somebody whom we discovered last week. He is a product of a 12 year program started by then Gov. Manny Pinol," he said. "After Dapudong, there are more fighters coming up because it is a continuing program. North Cotabato will be the source of the next world champions to be produced by the Philippines," Noli added.
In the meantime, Noli and Dapudong are focused on preparing for the Sept. 17 title fight against the slugger Uicab who is fighting in his own turf and would have the advantage of the support of the hometown crowd.
"Mas masarap ang panalo kung dehado ka," he said. (Victory is sweeter when you are the underdog.)
Is he a flash-in-the-pan? Dapudong will provide the answer on Sept. 17.(pr)
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