I pity Jayar Inson

Like I usually do as regards boxing cards, I also subscribed to a pay-per-view connection of the Pacquiao-Thurman fight. The enjoyment of my family watching such sporting events more than pays the PPV subscription fee. One undercard match shown last Sunday, featuring a Filipino pugilist brought me disturbing memories and true to the Off Tangent character of this column, I would rather dwell on it instead of the main event.

There was a Cebuano boxer, when i was still in my high school many years ago, who caught the attention of the boxing world. Francisco Balug, a converted southpaw, fought as a featherweight and knocked out many of his foes on the way to high Philippine rankings. One day, he was surprised by his handlers with the news that he was booked to face Japanese Mitsunori Seki. Balug was still raw when he met the veteran Seki. He lost by knockout and his star began to fade before his talent was literally nipped in the bud blossomed. Rumors had it that he was brought to the lion’s den for a hefty sum. Call that Inhuman maneuver as a product of greed. That ugly gossip continues to register in my mind until today.

 Among the bouts that were shown last Sunday involved Filipino Jayar Inson. It was the first time that i heard such a name. Considering that i try never to miss watching boxing whether live or on television and i always read first reports of this sport in the newspaper pages, i was very apprehensive, to say the least, on hearing that a relative unknown was to fight a foreign boxer of world championship caliber. Francisco Balug versus Mitsunori Seki encore!

In introducing the protagonists, the ring announcer mentioned the record of Jayar Inson, at 18 wins, of which twelve were knock outs and two losses. The audio was good! His knockout percentage which according to Engr. Dax Arcilla, was a high 67% sounded impressive. But, i could not help asking me this question: “where in the world had this Mr Inson been fighting when I have not heard of his name among the rising stars of Filipino boxers, here and abroad? There are Gestas and Dapudongs doing good (and sometimes forgettable) fights in the US arena.” But no Insons.

The information released by ringside commentators horrified me. Inson’s opponent was Sergey Lipenets, a former world champion. Lipenets’ record of eleven knockouts in fifteen of his wins and which translates to 73% (thanks again to Engr. Dax) was frightening. Even if we assume him to be a so-so fighter, the experience of a world champion can never be overlooked.

A revelation shocked me even more. The boxer who was scheduled to mix it up with Lipenets was John Molina Jr., another world contender. Molina, on account of an injury, withdrew from the contest. One day before the scheduled encounter, Inson was tapped. It was not a reprise of the Balug-Seki after all. It had to be  worse for a minimum of two reasons. Firstly, Balug was a talented puncher with verifiable record. Inson’s announced record was practically unheard of. Secondly, Balug had enough preparation. He knew of his fight weeks ahead and probably scouted Seki. Inson learned of his fight one day (?) earlier. He had practically no preparation of any kind.

The fight was dangerous to Inson. I pity him. All stacks were against the Filipino. That he got knocked out by a weak left hook of Lipenets just 57 seconds in the second round gave us a glimpse of the dangers Inson’s business manager (as well the promoter) subjected him to. Had he not fallen immediately with that left hook and been hit by more ponderous blows he could have been severely, if not fatally, injured. His manager did not care for his welfare. No decent manager would be so cruel and inhuman as to risk his ward’s life. I could only surmise that greed predicated upon the consent to let Inson fight Sergey. May karma, of the brutal nature, descend upon him.