The Philippine Online Chronicles

In sports, the breaks of the game are a most crucial factor. One made shot can turn things upside down in an instant. One unnoticed miscue spells doom. Regardless of the results, nonetheless, lives can change radically in one game. And that exactly happened, some 13 years ago inside an obscure gym in Mandaluyong.

The fight

9 February 1996 was a fateful day for two firebrand fighters who were vying to be the next big thing in Philippine boxing.

In one corner was a man trained in the urban streets of Tondo, who, despite standing at a diminutive 5’0” height, was known to be a daring penetrator against bigger foes with his Muay Thai approach in boxing. His name was Rustico Torrecampo (14-8-5, 7 KOs).

In the opposite corner was a 17-year-old boy from General Santos in Mindanao named Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), who, despite sporting a lanky frame, was a young sensation popular for his rapid hand speed. His name would later equate to Legend.

Their fight did not start at the ring of the bell. Fighting in the Light Flyweight division at that time, a growing Pacquiao failed to tip the 106-pound limit, thus getting penalized by having to wear a mandatory eight-ounce glove compared to Torrecampo’s six-ouncer, lessening the impact of Pacquiao’s punch.

The fight started with the 24-year-old Torrecampo sneaking through Pacquiao’s defense, throwing blows from different angles and landing a flurry of punches on Pacquiao’s head and body.

However, the taller and heavily-favored Pacquiao retaliated in the second round, staggering Torrecampo with rapid blows reminiscent of FPJ’s style in the movies.

Coming into the third round, however, fortunes reversed as one punch proved to be a turning point, not only of the bout, but of the lives of both fighters.

The punch

Despite being battered in the second round, Torrecampo played at a more calculated pace in the third.

From being the counter-puncher, Torrecampo tried to scale the superior reach of Pacquiao, tempting his inexperienced foe to show his stuff.

As Pacquiao attempted a power punch, Torrecampo saw an opening, ducked, and threw a crunchy left square on Pacquiao’s chin, bringing the once-undefeated rising star down to the canvas.

Pacquiao, with his eyes crossed, attempted to get up again, but had already run out of steam, and so could no longer continue. It was a stunning knockout victory for Torrecampo, who, with his cornermen, celebrated like he had won a world championship.

Little did Torrecampo know that he had beaten a future pound-for-pound World Champion. And little did Torrecampo know that his victory over Pacquiao would turn out to be but a one-time thing.

(Click here for Part 2)

Photo: “Chicago Golden Gloves Amateur Boxing Tournament” by Kate Gardiner, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.