Filipino Boxing: Champs, Contenders, Prospects

The heaviest successful Pinoy to date has been Ceferino Garcia, who became middleweight champ in '39 and is credited with popularizing the bolo punch. His biggest achievement on paper is drawing with Hank Armstrong during his brief title run, a rematch from 1938 when he lost a competitive UD. The bout notes on Boxrec cite Armstrong vs. Garcia II as having been a gift for Garcia (despite contemporaneous newspaper accounts paint a different picture, with opinions split down the middle as to who deserved it) and makes no mention of it being the Ring Magazine FOTY in 1940. Other than his two near-upsets of the legend, he boasts pairs of victories over Hall of Fame inductee Lloyd Marshall as well as Kid Azteca (splitting their series, also losing twice) and was the only person to ever knock the respectable Fred Apostoli out cold, to claim the MW title. :good

 

Jack Tepora is another worth name dropping here as a prospect.

Adones Cabalquinto was supposed to fight Keita Obara earlier this year for the OPBF title @140 but seems to have pussied out of that sadly, would have been a good one.

Jade Bornea is well worth keeping an eye on even if he is a novice. He beat Kosei Tanaka at the 2013 Asian Youth Championships, albeit a razor thin decision in the Philippines.

 

i ain't giving up on gesta yet.

with crawford leaving 135, gesta can beat the rest of the beltholders.

 

With Crawford moving up in weight the division is really weak right now but even so Gesta is not much of a match for it. I can see him winning a title but that's about it.

 

Maybe if he can land Bey prior to Vázquez (who schooled Gesta) reclaiming his rightful property. Otherwise, no.

Abril outboxes him like Vázquez did.

Figueroa knocks him out.

 

I remember seeing them on a TR undercard and being impressed at the time (although I think dodie boy penalosa suffered a flash knockdown) but they have been very quiet since.

 

I don't think he's relevant at all. The last notable opponent he beat was back in 2012. He has fought cans in his last two fights.

 

Pagara i see him getting KO'ed in the world stage the way he throws his punches
Well i want him to improve!

Milan i think can win in the world stage

 

I hear Bornea very lucky to beat Kosei in Philippines, he is good talent though and very young. I hope rematch in professional one day.

 

Isnt Farenas a contender?

 

He lost in an IBF title eliminator a week or two ago to a Puerto Rican prospect but I think he'll able to come back from that, very heavy hands.