Mindoro’s rude awakening

Looking at what happened to Weljon Mindoro’s foray into amateur boxing in the ongoing 33rd Southeast Asian Games, I remembered one jaded observer of the fight game.

“Professional boxing and amateur boxing are two different sports,” he said.

I agree.

Take the case of Mindoro, the unbeaten pro fighter who lost his match with a Vietnamese on Wednesday in Thailand.

Since amateur fights are scheduled for just three rounds, a pro boxer is at a disadvantage.

Mindoro probably had thought that all it takes is one big, clean blow and he will secure a seat in the finals of the 75-kilogram class.

And if lucky, he might even wind up with the gold medal that translates to a hefty cash prize from the government.

But Bui Phuoc Thung, who was visibly smaller than the rugged and musclebound Filipino, had a lot of tricks.

He was nimble and kind of talented, traits that were pivotal in helping him score a points victory.

Mindoro tried his best to score a win by unleashing punches loaded with the baddest of intentions.

The problem is he could not find the prime target and by doing so, left him open for counters from his amateur rival.

If only one of those punches had landed squarely, the Vietnamese would have been blasted into bits and Mindoro would be looking forward to a gold medal bout.

The punches that Mindoro took didn’t hurt him.

But they were nonetheless damaging on the scorecards.

In amateur boxing, the aim is not to maim.

In the pros, it is the opposite.

Too bad Mindoro was unable to land even a good glancing blow because had he connected one of those vicious blows, the Viet would have been rocked that the referee could have stepped in immediately to call a halt to the contest.

“Huwag ka manggigil (Don’t be too eager to land a big punch),” someone said from the corner upon seeing that Mindoro was getting a bit frustrated.

And he was right on the money because it was during those moments when Mindoro was throwing heavy blows that he got caught.

This has led me to think that perhaps, the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines should have fielded even a young bet to battle because he is used to the amateur-style of fighting instead of Mindoro.

I am not belittling Mindoro. It’s just that his style of suited for the pros. There was simply not enough time for him to soak up some amateur moves because he was recruited at the last minute.

I was told that there are big, young guys in the amateur pool but since they were not yet seasoned, officials gambled with Mindoro thinking that he is a sure bet for the gold.

I am kind of certain that the guy who came up with the idea of getting Mindoro to boost the Philippines’ gold medal drive is a boxing noob.

That was some awful advice in the corner.