Fifteen Filipinos — led by four-division champions Nonito Donaire and Donnie Nietes — barged into the latest rankings released by the World Boxing Council.
From its Mexico City headquarters, the WBC listed Donaire as No. 4 in the bantamweight division ruled by former tormentor, Japanese Naoya Inoue.
Also making the top 15 in the 118-lb class are Reymart Gaballo (No. 7) and Vincent Astrolabio (No. 12).
The 12 other Filipinos listed include former featherweight titleholder Mark Magsayo (No. 2). Magsayo lost the title a couple of months ago to Mexican Rey Vargas.
In the super-flyweight bracket manned by Mexican Jose Francisco Estrada, the Filipinos listed are Nietes (No. 7) and Adrian Lerasan (No. 12).
Julio Cesar Martinez, meanwhile, is the top dog in the fly and has two Filipinos tingling to take his 112-lb crown: Giemel Magramo (No. 5) and Dave Apolinario (No. 15).
Three others, meanwhile, made the grade in the light-fly class presided over by Japanese Kenshiro Terajii. They are Marc Vicelles (No. 2), Jayson Vinson (No. 12) and Miel Fajardo (No. 15).
In the strawweight division — where Thailand’s Panza Pradibsri is the champion — the Filipino boxers ranked are Marco Rementizo (No. 6) and ex-champions Rene Cuarto (No. 10) and Pedro Taduran(No. 11).
The 19-member WBC Ratings Committee is chaired by Dean Lohuis of the United States with Los Medina of Mexico as secretary.
One of its members is Games and Amusements Board chairman Abraham Mitra.
Founded in the 1963 in Mexico City, the Philippines is one of 11 founding members of the world’s premier boxing body.
In the late 1960s until the early 1970s, the WBC was headed by Filipino Justiniano Montano Jr. with Rudy Salad serving as secretary general.
Salud — who went on to serve as commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association — was wide credited for crafting the by-laws of the WBC.
