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Edrin Dapudong: Another Filipino prospect bites the dust

Highly- touted Filipino prospect Edrin “The Sting” Dapudong arrived in Cancun, Mexico with high hopes of retaining his WBC silver flyweight title against Wilbert “Hurricane” Uicab, but it was not meant to be. The Hurricane proved too much and way too elusive to be stung by the Filipino's vaunted fists.

All hopes that Dapudong will have a second consecutive victory in hostile territory clearly evaporated in the first minute of the first round as Uicab, with whirlwind fists, quickly jumped on the surprised Dapudong as he peppered the Filipino with shots coming from all angles.

It was an omen of things to come as The Hurricane, buoyed by the partisan crowd, quickly established his rhythm and wrecked havoc against the flat and leaden- feet Filipino champion for most of the first half of the fight.

Edrin Dapudong failed to exploit his height and reach advantage against his shorter opponent as Uicab enticed him to fight in close quarters and clearly exploited the chances given in his favor as he repeatedly tagged the champion with whirlwind combinations to the head and body.

Although Dapudong somewhat recovered and won the middle rounds, he failed to sustain his momentum into the championship rounds as he obviously ran out of gas, outgunned and faded badly. There was no sense of urgency from him and his corner. Dapudong just contented himself with clinching and exchanging a few insignificant wild punches with Uicab even though it was obvious that he was behind in the score cards.

The Dapudong that showed up in the fight was not the same fighter that destroyed, in one round, the feared Jesus “The Destroyer” Jimenez to take the then vacant WBC silver flyweight belt just months earlier.

Edrin Dapudong was obviously not in the best of shape; his legs deserted him early, the sting in his punches were nowhere to be found and he was already breathing through his mouth in the early rounds. He appeared tentative and lost against the wily Wilbert Uicab which left us to wonder whether his team had a game plan or even scouted his opponent at all.

Thus, another brave Filipino fighter failed in his quest for glory and lost his crown on the world stage. Like the rest before him who were hyped but came unprepared to handle the pressure of big time fights, Edrin Dapudong went out there to fulfill a dream but ended up in a nightmare.

The list is quite long and growing; Bernabe Concepcion, Boom- Boom Bautista, AJ Banal, Fernando Lumacad, Ciso Morales, Rodel Mayol, and the Sonsonas, Marvin and Eden.

And now we wonder, when will these fighters and their handlers ever learn that heart and talent alone will not win the fight, rather hard work and dedication to improve one’s craft will always be a huge factor that will make a difference in the heat of the battle. Also, a good game plan and thorough preparations will always be helpful to effectively handle and overcome a difficult situation. It will also go a long way if one has the mental toughness to handle any adversaries inside the ring.


These tenets are well-proven and practiced by the highly successful fighters throughout the history of boxing.

Just ask Manny Pacquiao.

*first published in 8CNews

Pinoy Boxing: Mercito Gesta KO's Genaro Trazancos in Arizona

Mercito "No Mercy" Gesta (19-0-1, 9 KOs), one of boxing's bright prospects from the Philippines, knocked out Mexico's veteran fighter Genaro Trazancos (22-12-1, 13 KOs) in the 7th round of their 8- round bout at Casino Del Sol in Tuscon, Arizona to remain undefeated.

The Filipino junior welterweight was not tested enough and toyed with Genaro Trazancos for most of the fight but stepped up his attack starting the 6th round as he peppered his opponent with various combinations to the head and body. The most telling were his left straights and upper cuts that would make Trazancos stop momentarily in his tracks everytime the Filipino's power punches found its mark.

Despite Trazancos' experience, Gesta was just superior in all departments and there was no doubt in the spectators' minds that the Filipino can end the fight anytime if he wants it and are just waiting for the inevitable outcome to happen.

Mercito Gesta came out of the corner smoking in the 7th determined to end the fight and not put the decision into the hands of the judges. He showed no mercy and chased the reeling Trazancos all over and with just 53 seconds into the round, a powerful left straight to the kisser put the game Trazancos on his back for the count.

Mercito "No Mercy" Gesta improves to 19 wins with 9 KOs while Genaro Trazancos dropped his losing record to 12.