CHICAGO - As this column was being written, Marlon Tapales was on a flight from Tokyo to the Philippines.
Unfortunately, his baggage heading home is much lighter than when he arrived in Japan. Despite a bold, courageous effort, Tapales lost his two 122-pound belts to Naoya Inoue in a blockbuster unification bout last Tuesday.
He is beaten, not broken. The debacle at the Ariake Arena only fuels his resolve. As for the lumps and bruises from that 10th round KO loss, don't feel sorry for him.
Marlon Tapales had just punched a secure financial future for him and his loved ones.
Thanks to a "Monster" payday, "he will be able to build or buy a house now and take care of his family," MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons told SPIN.ph in a telephone interview.
Lost in the ring. Won big in life. Not a bad shake.
Tapales is just one name in the long list of Filipino boxers whose lives have been forever changed by the sport.
WHITE KNIGHT IN A DARK WORLD
Gibbons reluctantly spoke about the topic but amid oft-repeated tales of managers and promoters undercutting and underpaying fighters, a light needs to be shined on the honesty with which he conducts business.
Mark Magsayo just bought a house in Las Vegas. Jerwin Ancajas and Eumir Marcial are similarly prosperous while Jonas Sultan, Pedro Taduran and the other pugs under Gibbons' wing have had their fair share.
Vincent Astrolabio, who lost a WBO bantamweight bout to Jason Maloney last May in Stockton, California also got a windfall from the title challenge.
"He just built a house and purchased a tricycle and motorcycle. He is now in a better position to take care of his two kids."
Gibbons' fistic collaborations are not limited to Filipino fighters. He recalls fondly of the heights Orlando Salido of Mexico reached through boxing.
"Orlando grew up on a dirt floor across the border before he paid a "coyote" $3500 to come to America. After a long-lasting partnership that lasted for years, Salido now owns a million-dollar apartment complex in Mexico and he has six houses in Phoenix," Gibbons says with pride.
SO WHAT'S IN IT FOR SEAN?
Of course he gets paid, too. But he doesn't take a dollar more than what he deserves.
"It's a thrill for me seeing people's lives changed. I'm helping myself and helping other people like Manny Pacquiao and my fighters and it's very satisfying."
A former boxer himself, Gibbons has been in the fight business for 37 years. So how the hell did he survive the snake pit?
"I'm a tough-skinned guy with no ego. I don't care what people say about me, all I care is what the people I'm around say about me.
"It's hard to please everybody but all you can do is to be transparent. If you're not loyal and don't do the right thing by people you'll be out of this game fast and you will always be known as a scumbag."
A scum Sean is not.
You see it in how his boxers always give 1000 percent effort whenever they're on top of the ring. Which brings us to the real secret to Sean's success.
Happy fighter. Happy life.
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