Pacquiao, Nietes to be honored at 17th Elorde Awards Banquet

MANILA, Philippines – Elorde Hall of Fame honorees Manny Pacquiao and Donnie Nietes will be honored with an Award of Distinction while 3 boxers will share the highest honors as Boxers of the Year during the 17^th Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Boxing Memorial Awards and Banquet of Champions on Saturday, March 25 at The Tent of the Manila Hotel.

Pacquiao, the current WBO welterweight champion, and Nietes, who recently vacated the WBO light flyweight title to seek another title at flyweight, will be honored.

Pacquiao, a world champion in 8 different divisions, was inducted into the Elorde Hall of Fame in 2012. He received the honor as boxer of the decade from 4 major boxing organizations – the WBO, IBF, WBC and IBO – as well as the Boxing Writers of America, Yahoo, ESPN, and The Ring Magazine.

Nietes became world champion in two divisions – the minimumweight and light flyweight – and will go for a third world title when he faces Komgrich Nantapech on April 29 for the vacant IBF flyweight title.

The Award of Distinction, one of the major awards of the Elorde Awards Night, is conferred to a Filipino boxer who has already been enshrined to the Elorde Hall of Fame and has been a world champion for 7 consecutive years, matching the feat of Elorde, who was enshrined separately into the International and World Boxing Hall of Fame as the world junior lightweight champion for 7 consecutive years, from 1960 to 67.

The main awards of the Elorde rites and Banquet of Champions, also held to celebrate the 82^nd birth anniversary of Elorde, is the conferment of the Boxer of the Year awards to the world champions of 2016 – IBF super flyweight titleholder Jerwin Ancajas, WBO bantamweight titleholder Marlon Tapales, and Johnriel Casimero, who held the IBF flyweight title before vacating to move up to 115 pounds. 

The other major highlight of the Elorde Awards, to be led by Elorde’s wife Laura, is the ceremonial casting of the fists of current and former Filipino world champions. They will form part of a rich, extensive collection of memorabilia of Filipino greats.

The boxers whose fists will be cast into immortality this year are former WBC junior bantamweight/WBO bantamweight titlist Gerry Penalosa, former WBC light flyweight champion Rolando Pascua, former IBF world super flyweight titleholder Tacy Macalos and former IBF junior flyweight and flyweight king Dodie Boy Penalosa.

Eleven Philippine champions of Class of 2016 as well as regional and international champions from the major boxing organizations in 11 divisions of the same year will also be honored in the Awards Night where special citations will be given to the best promoter (Jim Claude Manangquil), best referee (Danrex Tapdasan), best trainer (Jhun Agrabio), most promising boxer (Aston Palicte) and and best fight of the year (Kenny Demecillo and Rambo Lagos).

This Banquet of Champions is being sponsored by COBRA, Hapee Toothpaste, Elorde Boxing Gyms, Contour Rehabilitation & Wellness, Elorde Sports Center, Southpaw Bar & Grill, Philippine Amusements & Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Cast & Frame and Bai & Mig Party Favors.

For information and reservations for the Awards Night please call 09390617319, 09172504156 and 8250625. Look for Beth or Liza. – Rappler.com