Ring greats Espinosa, Peñalosa deliver divine Fight League messages

A pair of Filipino boxing legends paid homage on Sunday to a legend in the field of law.

Former world champions Luisito Espinosa and Gerry Peñalosa were in attendance at Fight League, a topnotch gym specializing in combat sports at the Ortigas Center where they met the illustrious lawyer Nilo Divina, founder and managing partner of DivinaLaw, one of the country’s top law firms.

Divina’s son Jorap runs Fight League and his father, alongside Espinosa and Peñalosa, watched the action during Boxing Solidarity Day (Fight for Safer Communities).

The afternoon affair featured friendly competitions in Hybrid Boxing Challenge and Solidarity Bouts.

Fight League features not just boxing training but kickboxing and Muay while also promoting fitness and wellness.

The presence of Espinosa and Peñalosa proved inspiring to all the attendees, many of them taking time off from their busy weekend schedule to be with the retired boxing stars.

Both fighters likewise teach boxing in their respective turfs.

“Let’s make this boxing gym a place for exercise, a place for fitness, (to develop) camaraderie in building better communities,” Divina said in a short speech after his son Jorap expressed his “deep gratitude” for allowing him to lead Fight League.

Espinosa, now 59 and already retired for 21 years, reigned as World Boxing Association bantamweight and World Boxing Council featherweight champion during his heyday.

“It was truly an honor to be here,” he said.

Peñalosa, also a two-division world champion like Espinosa, was the WBC super-fly and World Boxing Organization bantamweight titlist before hanging up his gloves in 2010.

He rallied behind Fight League’s advocacy and he was direct to the point in his message.

“I think that is a very powerful message. But for me, boxing has always been about something, much bigger than fighting. Boxing teaches us to control ourselves. We are always under pressure. Boxing teaches us discipline and teaches us how to use our strength, use it responsibly,” said Peñalosa.

“When we train, we train not because we would like to hurt others but to instill discipline. Sometimes, real strength is not to fight but to walk away.”

Indeed, the event proved successful in sending its message across.

As they say, to err is human, to forgive is divine.