35. The Young Boxer Dreamt of an “Anthony’s Day”: GOLDEN RECEPTION FOR A SILVER MEDALIST

When Anthony Villanueva arrived Tuesday afternoon last week, the most audible sounds that greeted him as he inched his way through the streets from Pasay to Manila to Quezon City on an open Thunderbird convertible were the giggles of admiring girls.

Anthony, the 19 year old featherweight sensation, many a girl sighed , was good looking and remarks like “His cheeks are rosy,” “He looks like a movie actor,” “Simpatiko” and “Guwapong-guwapo” were heard from the crowd. One male commented that if he were not good looking, there would not be that many people (the crowd was 15-deep in Escolta).

But Anthony was more than good-looking. He was humble in victory and his oft-bowed head betrayed his extreme shyness.

A month before Anthony’s departure for the World’s Olympic at Tokyo, Anthony told his father Cely Villanueva: “Itay, there was a day for Elorde and a day for Gemma, but I pray that when I return home, there shall also be an Anthony’s day.”

Anthony’s first words to his after upon meeting him in the airport were: “Itay, your Olympic record was broken.” Cely’s answer to Anthony was, ”Son, I have always prayed for your victory. Your Inay and I, and the whole nation are proud of you.”Anthony was speechless the first moments he saw his father and mother. All he could do was cry on his mother’s shoulder.

According to Gene Puyat, whom Anthony calls “Tito” and sometimes “Mr. Paymaster,” after Anthony won the silver medal he was just himself again---very shy, very modest.

 Anthony  is a music lover. He hopes to organize his own combo. He said if he can help it, he does not want to turn professional in boxing. “I want to retire and continue my studies in fine arts.”

 In his quarters at Tokyo, Anthony was once seen by Gene Puyat shadow boxing to the tune of martial music. During his fight at the World’s Olympics, Anthony was not thinking of the bronze or the silver medals. Gene Puyat said he simply fought like the devil to win. Before the final bout in Tokyo, Anthony was even seen in his room, at the Hotel Imperial kneeling in prayer.

Anthony has been offered movie contracts through his father Cely. If Anthony consents, he is schedules to appear in a movie entitled “Pamatay—Kaliwa at Kanan.” For the “Anthony Villlanueva Story”, he has a standing offer of P100,000.

Anthony said that “Tito Gene,” like his Itay, is also deeply religious. “All of us in the boxing team, recited the Rosary and the Lord’s Prayer before training.” Gene Puyat, that he required his boys to pray and sing the National Anthem before they trained or fought in competition.

“We observed struct discipline. This applied to the coach and trainers as weel. Anyone who broke a rule was out.” Puyat also said: “We had to pray. My responsibility was enormous. Anything can happen in boxing. The lives of no less than six boxers were at stake. To me, their safety is my great concern.”

Puyat sent no less than three years training his boxers. This involved time, money, and effort. “In boxing, money is imperative. The boys trained very hard and they needed a special diet. Tuyo and tinapa cannot make them strong. We have to supplement their intake with special diet such as steak, milk, and eggs. I have appealed to my friends for funds and I am grateful they responded.”

Cely reiterated his boast (not an empty one) about Anthony being an ideal boxer. Cely, who likes to dabble in verses, extols Anthony’s ability by quoting the late sports authority Grantland Rice: “To be a champion boxer, one must have the endurance of a marathoner, the strength of a Hercules, the grace and ease of a dancer (which is Anthony’s master), the precision of a baseball player (which Anthony possesses), but above all, he must possess a super abundance of that mysterious quality known as the fighting heart.”

Anthony, despite his twice cut eyebrow, fought to the finish in the final bout in Tokyo. Anthony’s trainer and second,”Aling Enriquez, said it was not true he told Anthony to hold his punches in the first round in his bout with the Russian. “In fact, “ he said, “I told him to go after the Russian from the very start when I noticed Anthony’s punches made him groggy. But unfortunately, our opponents in Tokyo were not the boxers, but the judges.”

Anthony may never turn pro but many will not forget the days when he brought joy and pride to millions of despairing Filipinos who were getting accustomed to news about disastrous defeats in Tokyo.

A humble Anthony coming home was a real champion, in and out of the ring. 

SOURCE:

F. M. Caliwag, The Sunday Times Magazine, 15 September 1964, pp. 26-28

 

 

34. RP’s New Ring Hero, ANTHONY VILLANUEVA, HE VOWED TO BREAK HIS FATHER’S RECORD

by Felix Caliwag, The Sunday Times Magazine, 8 November 1964, pp. 18-21

When 19-year-old ANTHONY VILLANUEVA capped the only silver medal won by his country since the Philippines participated in the Olympics in 1924, no man was more proud than his father, Jose “Cely” Villanueva. In fact, he was so proud, he cried.

But not many people know that Cely started off his son with elercises when he was a baby, At the age of 4, Anthony was already in the ring, mixing it up with another tot in an exhibition bout.

 Jose “Cely” Villanueva was in tears when he showed The Sunday Times Magazine a telegram which was sent to him by Anthony after he had won the silver medal, in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. The wire read, “Sorry, Itay, I already broke your record.”

To father and son, this simple communication has a lot of meaning. Cely recounted that in 1952, during a PAAF award night, he showed “Boy” (that’s how father calls son Anthony), who was barely 7 years old then, a plaque which was given to him as a world’s Olympic bronze medalist. “I distinctly remember this is what I told Boy, in Tagalog: “This record has not been broken in the Philippines.”

According to Cely, Boy readily answered: “Itay, I’ll break that record.”

“Just imagine,” Cely continued, “my own son breaking my Olympic record. Is this not a remarkable father-and-son-affair? I must confess that when I heard the news that Boy had won the silver medal, I was so overwhelmed I could hardly eat for three days.

“But, do you know that fate seems to have a pattern for Boy and me. I was born on March 19. And Boy was born a day ahead, March 18. I won a bronze medal in the bantamweight division and Boy won a silver medal in the featherweight division which is a rung higher.”

Because of Anthony’s victory, Cely said he has proven that his son’s boxing method is superior. Cely was reminded, however, that so far, no one disputed the fact that he is the dean of Filipino boxing trainers and that he has proven it through Elorde’s successful bouts and the many pugilists he has trained to become champions.

 “So many of our so-called boxing experts got for the slugger type. Not since my time has any of these sluggers won any medal in an Olympics. They were all defeated, They say I am a stylist. Well, Boy is a stylist, too. Sugar Ray Robinson, whose record in the annals of boxing has yet to be broken, is another super-stylist. At least we have proven something.”

What particular style has Boy adopted?

“Boy is an all-around performer, He can box, slug, counter punch, and defend. Boys is also adept at combination punches with both mitts. He is a body puncher but he himself is durable. In short, he is the ideal boxer who can give and take punches.”

At what age did Boy actually start boxing?

“I think he was a little over 3 years when he first dinned his boxing gloves. I was then instructor at the Manila Police Department. A certain sports goods store donated uniforms and fighting shoes. Instead of these donations, I convinced the donor to give me boxing gloves for kids. When I reached hme to present a pair of boxing gloves to Boy, he was so overjoyed that he kissed me several times and kept on jumping.

Since then, according to Cely, Boy showed a very special interest in boxing. He kept his boxing gloves in a box and he saw to it that they were always clean.

"In 1948, a fire broke out in our neighborhoods in Felix Huertas and naturally we were all rushing to take our belongings out of the house. But, do you known that Boy’s first impulse was to save only his boxing gloves?

“I realized then that even at that early age, Boy already demonstrated his deep concern for boxing. In the years that followed, I tried to convince Boy to discontinue his interest in boxing as I explained to him that is a thankless and rough sport. But Boy was simply adamant. He has will power, you know.”

The Olympic bronze medalist said his son is the calm type. “While it is true he is not temperamental, it is, however fair warning that he should not be provoked.”

Cely related an incident in which Boy boxed a playmate almost twice his age. “Boy, who was barely 4 years, was drawing something on the cement. After he finished his drawing, a boy, who was twice his age, erased his drawing. Anthony warned him twice and when the playmate refused to heed his warning the third time, Anthony hit him straight on the jaw. The playmate cried and complained to his father. But when the father saw it was only Anthony who was half his son’s age, he laughed aloud.”

This sort of thing, Cely said, was repeated on several occasions when Anthony was provoked. But as a rule, “Boy is very forgiving. He loves his plamates and he always treats them to a blow-out. They call him the little Santa Claus.”

Who is Anthony’s favorite boxer?

“Boy has great admiration for Elorde but he idolizes Cely Villanueva,” was Cely’s laconic answer.

The greatest Filipino Olympian to date received this special advice from his father: “Son, always be humble in victory or defeat.”

“It must be told,” Cely says, “there would not be an Anthony Villanueva without my friend Tom Ortega, our dean of physical culture.

“I am always grateful to Tom who saved me from certain death. It was Tom who sacrificed time and effort to help me recover from my failing health. That was before Boy was even born. I was desperate and bed-ridden. Tom gave me his personal attention. He supervised my training until I was pronounced fit to work. Inagaw ni Tom ang buhay ko sa tiyak na kamatayan at ito ay niloob ng Diyos marahil upang ibigay sa atin si Anthony.

“A few weeks after Boy was born, Tom also showed special interest in him.. He gave him baby exercises. It’s quite amazing but in nine months time, Boy was able to walk already to the Systomor gym at Dasmariñas, A foreigner who happened to take his photo was surprised to learn that Boy was only nine months old.”

Does Cely have a special diet for Anthony?

“Boy takes a very light breakfast. He takes tea or coffee and two soft-boiled eggs. But he takes his lunch at exactly 11 a.m. His lunch consists of hot fish and green vegetable salads. His supper when he has to eat well consists of steak.”

Cely pointed out that during the Olympic qualifying tournament, it was he who trained Anthony. “They tried to turn him into a slugger but I told Boy to sick to what I had taught him. Boy is very obedient. If he hears my whistle at night, he immediately goes to bed.

“Boy is also deeply religious. He collects religious objects. In his wallet, he has many estampitas. I also told him that “man propose, God disposes!”

That was Cely Villanueva speaking, about a son who may one day become a world champion.

SOURCE:

The Sunday Times Magazine, 8 November 1964, pp.18-21

Photos by Marcelino Roxas