MANILA, 26 September 2003 — Former two-time world boxing champion Luisito Espinosa is hoping to achieve his ultimate dream on home soil.
The 36-year-old Filipino sports icon is aching to become Asia’s first ever boxer to win world titles in three different divisions in the third decade of his glorious career.
In December, Espinosa will go for it at the Luneta Grandstand in Rizal Park when he squares off with the International Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight champion South African Cassius Baloyi.
Interestingly, it was also in Rizal Park where Espinosa successfully defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight crown twice against tough Mexican challengers. Espinosa first fought at the Luneta Grandstand in July 6, 1996. When he cruised to a unanimous points win over Mexican Cesar Sotto. In May 17, 1997 he won by technical decision over Mexican Manuel Medina from whom he wrested the WBC World Featherweight crown. He has ahead on points when the bloody fight was stopped in the eighth round because of cuts Espinosa suffered from the Mexican’s repeated head butting.
Both fights, billed as Battle of Manila Bay I and II were title defenses with then President Fidel V. Ramos prominent in the huge turnouts. Espinosa previously held the World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight and WBC featherweight crowns.
Espinosa earned his fastest victory in recent memory when he pounded Mexican Marco Angel Perez in the first round last March 27 in Oakland, California.
Before demolishing Perez, Espinosa suffered three straight bitter setbacks back in the US, where he now lives. Those stinging setbacks made observers think Espinosa is already in the twilight of his once colorful boxing career. But his sensational victory over Perez resurrected his hopes of becoming the first Filipino to win
Ring experts who witnessed Espinosa’s quick demolition of Perez said it was like good old days for the legendary Filipino pug. The 35-year-old Espinosa was brimming with confidence when he authored the stoppage in their scheduled 10-round, 132-lb limit fight.
The last time Espinosa scored a first-round stoppage was against Raul Perez on Oct. 10, 1995 in Tokyo, Japan, where two months later he won his second world title, the World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight crown, after conquering erstwhile champion Manuel Medina.
It was a redemption of sort for Espinosa as he silenced his detractors who called for his retirement after he was stopped by Zahir Raheem in the eighth round of his previous fight in Oklahoma in October last year.
Obviously, Perez was a perfect opponent for Espinosa. Unlike Rahim who prefers to stick and run, Perez fights like a raging bull, and this suits the Filipino’s fight style pretty well.
Espinosa appears to have outgrown the 126-pound featherweight class. He weighed in at 131 pounds for Perez. The superfeatherweight or junior lightweight limit is 130.
Since he has already gained weight, Espinosa feels he could fight more comfortably in the junior lightweight division. Espinosa now walks around weighing 140 pounds, the ideal weight in the junior lightweight. Rivera said Espinosa still remains a championship material, citing the feats achieved by aging boxers like the legendary Muhammad Ali.
Espinosa has made two successful defenses of the world bantamweight title and another seven when he was the world featherweight boss. He has been staying in California for over three years now.
Interestingly, Espinos once told top fight scribe Fiona Manning that he intends “to fight in the Philippines and the US” before deciding to finally hang up his gloves.
Espinosa believes he still has enough championship juice left in the tank to go up against topnotch opponents.
And that juices are flowing again after that knockout win over Perez. He is out to prove he’s not over the hill yet. That he’s not bound for armchair nor obscurity yet. He’s out to silence non-believers, if not doomsayers, who can’t wait to send him off to pastureland.
And he’s aching to show what he could to revive a history-rich professional boxing career that started in 1984, and close it out the way he wants to - with a bang.
“I can still fight, and I will fight again,” he said defiantly. “What I need is proper training and a little more time.”
Rivera agreed: “Luisito still has the fire and we agreed we won’t give up just yet. Rest assured, Luisito will still be around. Perhaps now the other fighters, particularly champs, would consider fighting Luisito. It would be their mistake to think that he’s shot.”
The Tondo prizefighter is currently deep in training under American trainer Dee Pooler who feels confident about his ward’s chances against Baloyi in their duel set Dec. 13.
Espinosa has a tune-up fight sometime late October and plans to be in the country by the second or third week of November.
Baloyi, former IBU featherweight king, won all his first 26 bouts, 14 of them by knockout until countryman Philip Ndou upset him in their battle for the IBU catchweight championship two years back.
Hermie Rivera said he’s helping out his son Noel — who is now Espinosa’s manager — said Baloyi offered Espinosa a $30,000 purse for a showdown in South Africa.
But his son Noel, who took over as Espinosa’s manager from Boots Aniel two years ago, countered by asking Baloyi’s manager Brian Mitchell how much it would take to stage the fight in Manila instead.
Baloyi’s price was not less than $100,000. Rivera said he’s now moving heaven and earth to raise the money to bring Baloyi here.
Rivera said Espinosa is also setting his sights on WBC superfeatherweight titlist Sirimongkol Singmanassak and WBA champion Yodsanan Nanthachai but both Thais are lukewarm to fighting the Filipino who is unbeaten in three bouts in Thailand and has never lost to a Thai. In a career that started in 1984, Espinosa has so far beaten five Thai opponents.
