Gorres is Salud’s choice

Lawyer Rudy Salud called him the reincarnation of former World Boxing Council (WBC) superflyweight titlist Gerry Peñalosa.

In Salud’s discriminating eyes, rising flyweight Z Gorres has the potential to become a future world champion. He was clearly impressed by the unbeaten 20-year-old fighter.

"I saw images of Gerry of five years ago," said Salud who flew from Manila to Cebu to watch Gorres pulverize Ricky Escaner in the fourth round at the Gaisano Country Mall parking lot last weekend. "I think he has a little less power than Gerry. But that’s because he doesn’t get close enough to his opponent and hits from a distance. Maybe, it’s just a matter of range. When he got close to Escaner, he knocked him out cold."

Since Peñalosa announced his retirement a few weeks ago, Salud has embarked on a nationwide search for a fighter who could fill his shoes. The first thing he did was to contact Cebu-based businessman Tony Aldeguer who’s built a reputation of discovering diamonds in the rough and turning them into polished gems.

Aldeguer rolled out the red carpet for Salud when he visited Cebu. And he made sure Salud was at ringside when his vaunted ALA (for Antonio Lopez Aldeguer) Boys displayed their wares.

During his weekend trip to Cebu, Salud had the chance to meet the local newsmen. He was just as impressed.

"I noticed that if you’re sincere, the Cebu reporters will go out of their way to help you, to listen to what you say," said Salud. "They’re very hard-working and very competent. They made me feel like a celebrity. They’re as eager to find a future world champion for our country."

As for Aldeguer, Salud said he’s one of a kind. "Tony’s a real gentleman and a true sportsman," noted Salud. "He took care of us from the time we landed in Cebu. His gym is first-class. Most of all, he knows how to spot talent and has a big heart."

Salud toured Aldeguer’s gym in Nasipit, Talamban. The gym has a full-sized ring, a slew of training equipment, fitness machines, computers, and a dormitory.

"An Aldeguer-Salud tieup should work wonders," wrote Rico Navarro in his column "Bleacher Talk" in Cebu’s The Freeman newspaper. "Aldeguer’s nose for talent, wide base of boxers, world-class facilities and generosity can surely benefit from the extensive network and connections of Salud."

Salud said he will send renowned trainer Freddie Roach a tape of Gorres’ fights. "I’d like to find out what Freddie thinks of Gorres, if he’s a potential world champion or not," continued Salud. "I plan to invite Freddie to come to Manila to watch Gorres fight in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s non-title bout against (Vuyani) Bungu on March 8."

Salud said he is prepared to pay $1,800 to $2,000 for a tough foreign opponent to test Gorres. Promoter Bebot Elorde is now looking for takers.

"If Gorres is our boy, I’ll sit down with Tony to work out an arrangement," said Salud. "I intend to bring Gorres to train in Freddie’s gym in Hollywood. I’d also like him to consult Dr. Sanirose Orbeta for his nutritional requirements and a sports psychologist. We cannot allow our fighters to fall behind the trends in modern technology. The stars of football, tennis, basketball, baseball and golf are consulting sports psychologists on an individual basis. In boxing, it’s not just the fighting skills that count."

Gorres is one of five children born to Celestino, a jeepney driver, and Zeta, a housewife. His first name is a combination of his parents’ initials, ZC. He dropped the letter C in his ring name. His older brother Jun used to fight for Aldeguer and is now retired. His three sisters are married.

Because Aldeguer insists that his fighters go to school to prepare for life after boxing, Gorres is enrolled as a computer science sophomore at the University of the Visayas. Aldeguer pays for his education.

A usual day for Gorres begins at 5 a.m. when Aldeguer himself picks up the ALA Boys for a 45-minute jog on the Mandaue bridge. Aldeguer joins his fighters in the morning routine. Then, Gorres attends classes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the afternoon, he works out in the gym for at least two hours. Gorres is in bed by 9 p.m., the curfew in the Aldeguer dormitory.

There are about 20 fighters living in the dormitory but only Gorres and Philippine junior welterweight champion Dindo Castanares are pros–the others are simonpures.

Gorres said it’s not a conscious effort to fight like Peñalosa but he’s honored to be compared to his idol. His other boxing hero is former WBC minimumweight champion Ricardo Lopez of Mexico.

Gorres said he learned the basics of boxing from his brother Jun. He figured in over 100 amateur bouts, capturing golds at the National Youth Open in Bago City in 1999, the Palarong Pambansa in Bacolod in 2000, and the Palaro Ng Bayan in General Santos City, also in 2000.

Gorres’ ambition is to someday become a world champion. He said he hopes to develop more power by throwing more body weight behind his punches and hitting the heavy bag in the gym. He singled out speed, footwork, and defense as his strong points. Gorres credited his trainer Edito Villamor for honing his skills.

Gorres admitted he has a girlfriend but qualified it’s nothing serious. Marriage is far from his mind because his focus is exclusively boxing.

Aldeguer said Gorres is disciplined and hard-working. "He’s a mama’s boy, too," chuckled Aldeguer. "Sometimes, kulang na lang pumasok sa ring ang kanyang ina. He’s a good boy. He’s got a bright future as a fighter."

Gorres turned pro two years ago and has since compiled a 12-0 record, with six knockouts. A southpaw who’s about two inches taller than Peñalosa, he has scored wins over veterans Bert Cano, Flash Eraham, and Flash Murillo.

Another fighter in Aldeguer’s stable who impressed Salud was 16-year-old Bohol amateur bantamweight Reynaldo Bautista. Gorres said Bautista is just like Pacquiao–strong and courageous. Salud remarked that Bautista is at least five years away from making an impact as a pro.

For the moment, Salud is setting his sights on Gorres. "There’s no solid basis yet to determine how far he’ll go," said Salud. "But we’re looking into it. I think that properly handled, Gorres will go far. We’ll wait for Freddie’s evaluation. And if we can find an opponent for Gorres on March 8, we’ll get a chance to see him in action again."