A stone’s throw from the main entrance of the Elorde Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque, Cucuy Elorde conducts her business inside what looks like a small shipping container.

The shop sells Fairtex, high-quality boxing and mixed martial arts equipment and gear manufactured in Thailand, stuff her boxers, including the country’s lone world boxing champion Pedro Taduran, use during training and in actual fights.

Assisting her are a couple of driven salespersons.

But Cucuy, daughter of the late legendary Filipino fighter Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, doesn’t only tend to her store; she also manages countless training centers bearing the fabled Elorde name.

There used to be just one — located on Gilmore Avenue in Quezon City — but the business has expanded not just across Metro Manila but in the provinces as well.

“That one is almost 25 years old,” Cucuy told DAILY TRIBUNE during a visit at the vast Elorde complex.

Another thriving branch is the one along Maceda Street in Manila, which Cucuy says is over 20 years old.

Just like everyone else in the family, Cucuy’s business involves boxing.

Brothers Gabriel Jr. (Bebot), Johnny and Marty remain engaged in the fight game though not the way it used to be.

“Bebot still does boxing and Johnny, too,” she said.

“Marty and I are partners and we manage several fighters, including, of course, Pedro Taduran.”

Taduran is the reigning International Boxing Federation minimumweight titlist and the crowning glory of the combined Cucuy and Marty teamup.

Apart from Taduran, Cucuy handles a few more, many of them residing within the sprawling property built through the hard work of her late Hall of Fame father and managerial expertise of her late mother Laura.

‘One thing that I have learned to accept is the fact that your boxers’ problems are not just their own problems. It is your problem as well.’

And what’s her No. 1 rule when it comes to handling boxers?

“No women,” said Cucuy, stressing that while they are staying with her, “they can’t bring them in.”

But Cucuy makes it clear that boxers today are different.

“It’s not that they are womanizers and troublemakers but the boxers today are good kids. Mababait na sila ngayon unlike before when we used to have a lot of problems with managing fighters who are involved in vices.”

“I think that’s already a thing of the past,” said Cucuy, a mother-of-three and a mother to all the boxers under her care.

While she looks strict, Cucuy allows the boxers to have some free time outside the barracks.

“As long as they behave well and train regularly, no problem with me.”

But there are times when boxers encounter problems, family and personal.

“Most of the time, it is monetary because you know it’t not all the time that a boxer has a scheduled fight.”

“One thing that I have learned to accept is the fact that your boxers’ problems are not just their own problems. It is your problem as well.”

So, how does she remedy this?

“When they don’t have fights, I give them other opportunities to earn like teaching in the gym.”

Currently, Cucuy is in the thick of finalizing Taduran’s next fight, the fourth defense of the crown against Spanish challenger Brandon Moreno scheduled in the second week of November.

She is also working hard to boost the world rating of another fast-rising fighter in AJ Paciones, who has promotional ties with the very influential Sean Gibbons of Viva Promotions.

In fact, Paciones is slated to fight in Tokyo in the third week of November, according to matchmaker Anthony Arieta, who also works with Gibbons and Cucuy in getting fights locally and overseas.

With her big guns getting ready for meaningful matches towards the end of the year, Cucuy can’t afford to take it nice and easy.

But given her work ethic and attitude, Cucuy should get things done the right way.