One skilled Filipino boxer that has floated in and out of sports consciousness is 26-year old Rey Loreto of barangay Tamayong in Davao City’s Calinan district.
If little is known about him in Davao City, this is because Loreto has over the past five years made the capital town of La Trinidad, Benguet his base as a member of the Highland Boxing stable under Brico Santig.
Loreto was a virtual unknown when he joined the stable, having more losses than wins to show for his efforts.
But Joven Jorda, the internationally-known trainer of the stable, saw something in him that reminded him of his own boxing career before he went into full-time coaching and training of new talents.
As a young boxer from Leyte, Jorda himself has this ‘hunger in his eyes’ in his quest for boxing glory. But he went on to accumulate 47 fights in a career that saw him toting his bags across countries before he hang up his gloves.
In Japan, he fought as ‘Jorda Ishihara’ and spoke Japanese so well he is called upon time and again to train young Japanese boxers. One of those who tasted defeat in his hands was the Thai Meggoen Singsurat who had inflicted on the upcoming Manny Pacquiao one of his losses early on in his career.
In just about two years under Jorda, Loreto blossomed into a formidable fighter and looked good enough that in 2014, Santig and Jorda did not hesitate to send him to Monte Carlo, Monaco for the fight of his life against reigning IBO world light flyweight champion Nkosinathi Joyi of South Africa.
Loreto looked nervous at first but there was no hesitation when he stepped into the ring and knocked out Joyi in the first round.
Joyi asked for a rematch and Loreto’s camp was only too glad to oblige. This time the fight was set in March 22, 2015 in South Africa. With Loreto this time around was Emmanuel Pinol (now the secretary of Agriculture) in his capacity as matchmaker.
As in 2014, Loreto had no idea of prolonging the fight if he could help it so when the bell rang, he promptly went into the offensive. Joyi showed spunk but had no answer to a series of combinations that Loreto unleashed that sent him to the canvas at least twice for an abbreviated finish in the first round!
My source to this story was Jorda himself. And I am sure that had Pinol (an accomplished sportswriter himself) chose to write about this event, he could have done a far more accurate story, having been there.
The other story that brought tears to Jorda every time he recounts the story was the revelation that Loreto was not paid the P2Million prize money to this day!
Here is the Sun.Star Baguio’s follow-up story:
“Rey Loreto in 2015, retained his IBO light flyweight title against Nkosinathi Joyi in South Africa via a first-round knock-out with Pinol serving as match-maker.
After two long years, Loreto has yet to be paid of his purse. Boxing trainer and coach Joven Jorda took to social media to spill his disgust and to plead for help from President Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Manny Pacquiao and Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol for the release of his prize.
The Calinan, Davao City fighter who now trains at the Highland Boxing Gym in La Trinidad after failing to get his price money right after the fight then wrote Games and Amusement Board chairman Juan Ramon Guanzon through boxing division chief Nasser Cruz in a bid to collect his purse money worth $40,000 and $2,000 training allowance, which is close to P2 million. “Unfortunately, after the fight and up to this date, our promoter, Siphato Handi of Mamali Sports Promotions, failed to give what is due me as a boxer,” Loreto said in his letter.
The former world champion added Piñol, who was the chief executive officer of Sonshine Sports Management, earlier gave him $1,000 and another $300 to Jorda as South African boxing promoter Siphatho Handi, who is also the manager of Joyi, failed to remit the amount of $45,000 representing Loreto’s purse and that of another Filipino boxer, Jetly Purisima, who fought in the undercard of the championship bout but lost a 10-round bout by decision. Jorda meanwhile hopes Loreto’s fight purse will be paid so the former world champion can finally savor his victory.
“Umaasa po kami na sana po matulongan kami dahil dalawang taon na mula noong aming world title defense kontra kay Joyi pero hanggang ngayon po ay di pa po kami nababayaran sa fight po na iyon,” Jorda said in his post.”
I do not like to say that we should hold Pinol responsible for the prize money that never reached Loreto. But as a match-maker then, he was half the reason why Loreto and Jorda travelled with him to South Africa in the first place. It is also one thing to get the side of Pinol before coming to a conclusion which is what I wanted to do in case the respected Agriculture secretary comes to Davao.
There seemed only one way to clear the matter and to remove any hint at irregularity on the part of Pinol when he was not yet a high government official. First, he should make a clean breast once and for all as to what really happened in South Africa. Second, he must by all means help Loreto get hold of his prize money.
Otherwise, it will be an issue that will continue to haunt him for the rest of his life. I am inclined to believe that the good Agriculture secretary (who is part of a Duterte team that vows to bring about equity for all Filipinos) will in due time bring the matter to rest to the satisfaction of all concerned.
