The Elorde legacy

It has been three decades since the legendary Gabriel “Flash” Elorde passed away. His name has lived on through those who knew him for his kindness, generosity and humility. He was world junior lightweight champion, until recently the longest-reigning Filipino world boxing champion. In 1989, the Orient-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) named their perpetual Boxer of the Year trophy after him. The annual awards for boxing excellence that bear his name have honored the greatest contributors to the sport for decades, and have attracted even heads of the world professional bodies like the World Boxing Council to attend. In other words, the name Elorde has always had gravitas in the boxing world.

The youth of today likely know the Elorde name from all the boxing gyms they exercise at. Thanks to the trend of taebo two decades ago and the constant appearances of Filipinos at both the Olympic and professional level, boxing has maintained a very high profile. Anyone 30 years old or under has heard of 1996 Olympic silver medalist Onyok Velasco, and of course, long-time champions Manny Pacquiao and Donnie Nietes. And with the shift of the world amateur body AIBA to professional rules and even pro team events, boxing will always carry a lot of interest for the casual Filipino sports fan. Besides, more and more women have been training at Elorde gyms for self-defense and to stay in shape in a very body-conscious society. Boxing has never gone out of style, and the 36 branches of Elorde gym have been there to accommodate the curious, the determined and the weekend warriors.

In addition, Elorde gyms employ real-life professional boxers, giving them much-needed additional income to keep their dreams of a world title alive. The average client at the Elorde gym therefore receives training from someone who actually fights for a living, and not just theoretical knowledge from a general practitioner trainer. For their part, the boxers receive a percentage of the gym’s revenues from client enrollments. All parties benefit from this arrangement. Clients receive high-level, firsthand instruction, the gym’s credibility is improved even more, and the boxers are able to support themselves while working their way up to higher purses.

But most important of all, Elorde International Promotions continues to bring world-class boxing to the masses through their regular fight cards. Roughly every two months, Elorde International holds international bouts at the SM MOA Music Hall, free to the public. Recent bouts have included WBC Asia-Pacific title matches such as the one to be staked on July 9, and various national titles. Boxers from Japan, Thailand and other countries regularly fight on Elorde cards as a springboard to future world title shots. And, like their gyms, the promotions are kept all in the family. Long-time promoter Bebot Elorde and his son Garren continue to give hope and opportunity to boxers seeking a better life and a chance to bring honor to their country. It is often a gamble, but one they gladly take.

“The secret is really in the match-making,” explains Garren, the company’s marketing manager. “We are a boxing family, and for people to keep trusting us, we have to put up quality fights. We are also very fortunate to have bouts under the WBC, which is the most-recognized boxing organization worldwide. And SM has generously given us use of the MOA Music Hall, which is a great venue and attracts a lot of people.”

But the going can sometimes be tough. Sponsorship can sometimes be a chicken and egg situation without regular television coverage. Also, since the events are free, there are no revenues from ticket sales. So even though the bouts are always at a high standard, there is no guarantee that the Elordes will turn a profit. Each event has its own odds of financial success. They do understand, though, that it is their mission, not only to seek the next big thing in boxing, but to invest in the future of the sport, which has been rocked internationally by the rise of mixed martial arts and the decline of interest in the heavyweight division. So even if they may lose some money on some cards, the fight goes on. 

“It’s really our commitment, as my Dad says,” Garren elaborates. “Sometimes, we just earn the money back when our boxers fight abroad, or when a Japanese promoter wants to join our cards. At this point, we’re looking to take the promotions to the next level already.”

Elorde International Promotions plans to expand the chain of gyms beyond Metro Manila and even Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao, where much of the raw talent is in the first place. Secondly, they aim to take the Elorde brand deeper into the mainstream through social media, marketing and merchandising, using the gyms as a pipeline to publicize their events and distribute merchandise. And of course, the goal is to discover the next world boxing champions and promote them to a global audience. With the Elorde brand and the passion of his family behind it, the odds will always be for them to succeed.