Author: Cielo del Carmen
As a sequel to my Viva la Mexico Part 1, here's more of that nostalgic trip I took to Mexico last Nov.26,2008!
Going back to my father's hometown was like a slice of heaven for me! The people were "oh-so-warm"...and the food (must we talk about that?)...just talking about it is making me drool as I write this article. This is all part of the "chicano" spirit that I truly miss. Everything was close to being perfect....and let me just say that the "highlight" of this state of perfection was my trip to the "boxing district" of the world.....the streets of Mexico City!
Picture this! A boxing gym on every corner...fight bills tacked up everywhere...yes, this is EXACTLY how the smug streets of the city look like. Sanctioned fights, underground matches.....name it, Mexico City's got it! It's crazy! Boxing just runs rampant through the city! A countless number of murals of the finest fighters of Mexico are seen as one strolls around it's colorful avenues. Posted in one of the tallest buildings is a colossal painting of boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez, who is like a god in Mexico. Up to this day, Mexicans still respect and admire him. You see, in this country, respected boxers are treated very much like movie stars! They have a zillion fan clubs, they have their share of the paparazzi, and they are talked about in magazines, newspapers, etc...they can't walk the streets without getting mobbed. I had a thrilling experience as on my 3rd day, I was getting myself a beef burrito in the "carneceria", which in English means meat shop, when suddenly a mob of shreiking "chiquitas" (slang word for "babe" or "chick") were racing towards my direction! I looked around to see what was causing all this commotion, and a quick glance to my extreme left confirmed the reason for this pandemonium. According to Senorita Guadalupe, the sweet, old lady who has been making burritos for the "carneceria" for over 40 years now, the target of the young girls was an amateur boxer named Diego. My eyes twinkled as I scrutinized the young 18 boy. He was PERFECT!!!!! It was as if the gates of heaven opened and an angel appeared in front of me! His face was like no other I've ever seen. Admittedly, he was too good to be a boxer...his face showed no signs of trauma or disfigurement. But I guess, underneath Diego's good looks was the spirit of a warrior. The locals have tagged him as "the next big one". Indeed, Mexican boxers are rising stars in the world circuit.
Mexican boxers are known for their speed and intensity. I had the good privilege of watching a few of the upcoming professional boxers who happen to be ex-Olympians train at the Gimnasio Gil Roman y D. Zaragoza , which serves as headquarters for the legendary and most sought-after boxing coach, Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain and his right-hand man, Oscar Moreno. Unfortunately, Nacho was out of the country during my visit. It would have been an honor to shake the hand of the man who happens to be the only coach to be inducted in the World Boxing Hall of Fame. I was able to get a quick look at his office though! On the walls hung pictures of Nacho and his proteges. One particular poster which was hanging right next to Nacho's desk was a photo of him and Juan Manuel Marquez, and on top of it, the inscription wrote, "Campeon Mundial Featherweight". In yet another corner of his office, another banner which read "Dice seis mundial campeon", which in English means 16 World Champions. That's how many winners he's produced...and still counting.
Aside from the Gimnasio Gil Roman y D. Zaragoza, another very famous site for Mexican boxers is the Centro Ceremonial Otomi which is a legendary training center high above Mexico City. It is 12,000 feet above sea level and it passes though Temoaya & Toloca. Its training facilities and modern gym are surrounded by ancient looking temples. Now this place is THE place to train!!!!! The heart of which is an Aztec pyramid which was built hundreds of years ago, this structure is a consecrated area where our ancestors would burn incense and sound their cone shells to call the gods of the different elements of the earth and ask for their guidance and blessing. Nowadays, this practice is still being performed by the native American Indians in Mexico. They believe that by doing so, they draw "buenas suerte" ("good luck") to that area. The massive pyramid is where Mexican boxers run up and down its steps! Its a test of speed, endurance, mental toughness, and physical power! You may be asking yourself, "so what's so punishing about that?!?" FYI, the air in Mexico is less dense than that of the Philippines. The Centro Ceremonial Otomi is located somewhere in central Mexico, west of Mexico City, and because of the high altitude, the air thins out even more..there's hardly any air to take in!! Indeed, this is a Mexican boxer's "nightmare"! For them it's hell on earth....literally! Since air intake is vital to a boxer, the difference in altitude proves to be a major challenge and stumbling block for him at the same time. You'll hear coaches yell out "rapido! rapido!" ("faster! faster!") at the start of the drill, and at the end of it, you'll hear the boxers cry out for mercy! "no mas! no mas!" ("no more! no more, that's enough!"). Other exercises include running 2 full laps of the Centro Ceremonial Otomi grounds, which is like 13 rounds around the entire area of the Manila Memorial Park! (Elorde Boys, eat your hearts out!!!!!! There's absolutely no reason to complain with 5 rounds around the whole Manila Memorial Park, right?) Weight training is also done outdoors. Each boxer carries a big boulder and transports it to the other side of the road. They also chop tree barks..talk about hard labor!!!!!!!!
My last 2 days in Mexico were spent in the city, and would you believe the luck that I stumbled upon?! As my childhood friend Pepito and I were making our way back to the Gimnasio Gil Roman y D.Zaragoza, we bumped into boxers Vicente Escobedo, and his 2 buddies, Arturo and Adolfo. Vicente is a 2004 Olympian, and one of Nacho's rising stars. This boy was very accommodating! As soon as a told him that I was half Mexican and half Filipino, his eyes gleamed in excitement, and the very first words that came out of his mouth were, "So, you're from Pacquiao land!", to which I sheepishly retorted, "Uhmm..yes!" I didn't know whether he was a fan of Pacman, or not. He opened my eyes to the style of Mexican boxing...the speed and power of the Mexican jab in particular. Vicente told me that the secret of the Mexican jab is in its small movements. He said you'll hear many of the reputable trainers in Mexico say, "No largo.....poquito!!" ("Not big movements, just small ones!!") Another is the "jab-jab, canto, direcho!!" ("jab-jab, hook, straight!!") combination. In Mexican-Spanish, "jab-jab" is pronounced as "yab-yab". The following are some of the terms I heard from Vicente: 1) "mucho, mucho golpes!" ("more punches!") 2) "rapido!!!" ("quickly!!!") 3) "tiempo!!" ("Keep in time! Rhythm please!!") 4) "no tantenso!" ("don't be tense!") He also told me that Nacho's very first words to him when he was starting out was, "In Mexico, you punch hard!", coupled with "tranquilo, tranquilo.." ("relax...keep calm.."). Vicente also showed me a little bit of his "slip-slip" footwork. This was fun because it felt more like a dance step rather than a boxing move. The next morning, Pepito and I met up at the park with Vicente and his friends. They wanted me to witness a kind of initiation that most Mexican boxers go through, and this is how is goes: Its a modified shuttle run wherein a boxer has to sprint from the starting line to boxer A. Upon reaching, boxer A gives him 6 very brutal body punches, then he has to rush back to the starting line. This is done depending on how many boxers are giving the initiation. It follows, the more boxers, the more sprints you have to do, and for every boxer that you encounter as your distance gets farther and farther away from the starting line, the body punches increase by 2. Vicente was quick to say that this was not a form of punishment, but it was a lesson in endurance and "how to take a punch without losing your spirit". There is an ancient Aztec warrior mentality that states, "If you get defeated, you gotta have the power to come back and overcome what defeated you." With these words in mind, I flew back to Manila and shared this wonderful experience with the boxers from Elorde's. More than just educating them, I wanted to share with them the beauty of my "other" country, and the sport that has been in the hearts of both the Mexican and Filipino people for a long time now. Indeed, boxing is here to stay. I am hopeful that one day, Mexican boxers, managers, and trainers will flock to the Philippines and get a taste of how boxing is done here. With the advent of Manny Pacquiao, and the other courageous Filipino boxers who have given pride and honor to the Philippines, it has puzzled the whole world, Mexico in particular, that how could ring warriors such as them, could have emerged from such a tiny "isla bonita" right in the heart of Southeast Asia? If you ask me, let it remain a mystery. I'm proud of my Mexican and Filipino heritage, but I am even prouder of what these my 2 revered countries have achieved in the world of boxing. Let the games begin!
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Pacquiao and Hatton at the Roosevelt Hotel in L.A.
