Underdog Boxing: Nonoy Neri stands up for what is right

“Gusto kong protektahan and boksingero ko. Hindi ko siya ilalaban kung alam kong ‘di patas.” Nonoy Neri has been with Manny Pacquiao’s camp for a while now. Although he also helps in training the eight-division world champion, Neri often spends his time training fighters under the MP Promotions banner. One of those fighters is Rodel Mayol. A few weeks ago, Mayol was supposed to challenge Hernan Marquez for the WBA flyweight title. But the fight was scrapped because of confusion in the weigh in. “Tatlong beses nila sinubukang mandaya,” Neri shared. “Ginagalaw nila yung timbangan o kaya nagtitimbang sila na ‘di talaga nakatapak yung paa.” After three attempts to weigh Marquez, Neri realized that they were not getting a fair shake so he decided that they would not take part in the proceedings anymore. Just as they turned their backs, Marquez was supposedly weighed again, this time making the weight limit. “Tatlong beses siya tinimbang. Alam nilang overweight kaya dinadaya nila, tapos nung pagtalikod namin, nakiha na raw niya yung timbang,” Neri recalled. “Pero paano niya magagawa yun, e di naman siya nagpapawis? Nakaupo lang siya dun.” At that point, Neri knew that there was no way he was going to let Mayol fight. The promoters of the card tried to sweeten the pot to entice Mayol into fighting. “Nag-offer sila sa amin ng $50,000 para lumaban. Yung purse namin, $20,000 lang dapat,” Neri said. $50,000 is a huge amount. It’s something that Mayol may never reach again; however, Neri refused to throw his fighter into harm’s way. The health of his fighter and standing up for what he thought was right was all that mattered to Neri. After Mayol backed out of the fight, the promoters scrambled to get an opponent for Marquez. Richie Mepranum, a Filipino fighter also scheduled to fight in that card was offered the fight and he took it with open arms. “Nakakalungkot yung nangyari,” shared Neri. “Inayawan nga namin yung laban pero kinuha nung kapwa natin Pilipino.” Mepranum had his reasons for getting the fight. The money was good and he actually held a decision victory over Marquez a few years ago. In the fight, Mepranum weighed in at 118, Marquez on the other hand was rumored to be over 130 pounds. Mepranum was dropped twice and stopped later in the fight. Right now, Neri is busy preparing Mayol for his shot at Marquez. This June, just before Pacquiao steps into the ring against Timothy Bradley, Mayol will finally get his chance to challenge for the WBA crown he longs for. “Sa Las Vegas ang laban kaya naniniwala akong magiging patas sila,” Neri said. “Napahiya kasi yung mga tao ni Marquez sa nangyari sa Mexico kaya agad sila pumayag na labanan si Mayol.” Things like this rarely happen in boxing. Trainers and managers rarely pass up on big money to protect their fighters. It’s good to know that there are Filipino trainers out there who are still looking out for their fighters’ best interest. -- OMD, GMA News