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Rolando
Toyogon started off
as a prospect, then turned into
what many would call a
trial-horse, before turning his
career around to win the World
Boxing Federation (WBF) World
Light Flyweight title, and
eventually going back to being a
stepping-stone, a name on
someones record.
With mediocre 12-11-2
statistics, Toyogon lost a clash
of southpaws by unanimous
decision to a sixteen year old
whirl-wind kid called Emmanuel
Dapridan Pacquiao (9-0) in
December of 1995, in the main
event at a packed Padre Peredes
Basketball Court in Manila.
At the time, he could not have
known that he in the ring with a
future legend, and he had more
or less settled into a role of
being a tough and game
gate-keeper for young prospects
such as this particular fellow
Filipino whom would later take
the boxing world by storm known
as Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao.
Less than three years earlier
Toyogon made his professional
debut as a twenty-two year old,
winning on points over four
rounds against and opponent
called Junjun Dy (0-1). Seven
months on he had put together a
6-1-1 (1) ledger, and his future
in the ring looked as bright as
he could have hoped for.
Born in December of 1971, like
so many others he was raised in
poverty in Gingoog City, and
boxing quickly became his most
likely way out of dire straits.
He had hopes of winning titles,
becoming a world champion, but
he could not afford to turn down
tough fights on the way up,
trying to develop against lesser
foes.
So when he was stopped in six
rounds by the much more
experienced Nathan Ballerda
(27-15-10) in General Santos
City exactly nine months into
his pro career, it was the start
of a very rough patch for
Toyogon.
He lost his next three outings
too, to Ricky Flor (8-5), Edmund
Villamor (7-0-1) and Nick
Caintoy (17-8-1), and at 6-5-1
it was hard to still consider
him a prospect. He looked
destined for obscurity, but
someone forgot to tell this to
Toyogon.
He went on a four-fight unbeaten
streak, beating future IBF world
title-challenger June Arlos
(6-0-1), evening the score with
Nick Caintoy (18-8-2), drawing
against Alexis Janiola (12-7-1),
and winning a tough fight on
points over veteran Nurton
Panhay (23-14-3).
Toyogon was now back in the
picture for bigger fights, but
unfortunately he threw his
momentum away again when he lost
consecutive bouts to underdog
Ernie Buenafe (3-5) and
Thailand´s Wanwin Charoen
(10-3). It was very much
up-and-down in his career, but
he was always game and willing
to fight anyone.
Closing out 1994 he beat
American Orlando Malone (9-6) in
Canada, and 1995 got off to a
good start with a fifth round
stoppage of local up-and-comer
Ekapob Pincharoen (2-0) in
Thailand.
But that spell of good form was
followed by three straight
defeats, also in Thailand,
before a victory on home soil in
Cebu City and one more defeat,
in South Korea, brings us back
to the aforementioned clash with
Manny Pacquiao.
Following the loss to “Pac Man”,
Toyogon was 12-12-2 (2), and it
very much looked as if his faith
was sealed: Take any fight that
was offered, and hope to win
once in a while to keep relevant
enough for more pay-days.
Three weeks after Pacquiao he
was back in Thailand, where he
again showed his true level by
only dropping a split decision
to future WBF World Strawweight
Champion Mongkhol Charoen
(14-1), but in January of 1996
he was less competitive when
losing a rematch with former
victim Jun Arlos (12-4-1).
Having lost seven of his last
eight fights, and his win-loss
statistics at a
less-than-mediocre 12-14-2 (2),
Toyogon was due an easy nights
work, which he got with a
seventh round knockout of Dario
Olarte (4-14-3) the following
March.
That expected victory turned out
to be the beginning of the best
period in his career. Next he
was brought to Johannesburg,
South Africa to fight WBC
International Champion Morgan
Ndumo (10-1-1) in a non-title
fight, and upset the apple-cart
by winning a close, but
deserved, decision.
Thailand had become almost like
a second home to Toyogon, so it
was no big surprise that he was
invited back to fight On
Doowiset (15-2) for the IBF
Intercontinental Strawweight
title three months after the
triumph in South Africa.
While he lost the fight on
points, it was another good
performance and it only boosted
his reputation. Two victories
later, including one in which he
picked up the vacant WBF
Intercontinental Strawweight
crown against Sanya Pangthaisong
in Manila, he was given an
opportunity he could not refuse.
Thailand´s WBU World Strawweight
Champion Surachai Saengmorokat
(20-3) needed a credible, but
beatable, opponent for his first
title-defense, and Toyogon go
the call. But again the
hard-nosed Filipino had not read
the script!
After twelve rounds of action on
April 18, 1997 in Udon Thani,
the three judges rightfully
awarded Toyogon the victory by
scores of 116-112, 115-113 and
115-114, making him a highly
unlikely but deserved WBU world
champion.
Not one to sleep on his laurels,
Toyogon stayed busy with a rare
stoppage in seven rounds of
Edwin Talita (20-19-2) on June
13 in the main event of a show
at Nazareth Hall in Cagayan de
Oro City, bringing his record to
18-15-2 (5).
After years of being a
road-warrior, Toyogon was
rewarded with a big fight in the
Philippines, a chance to become
a two-weight world champion on
January 24, 1998 back in Cagayan
de Oro City, when he moved up to
Light Flyweight to fight for the
vacant WBF World title.
The tables had been turned, and
this time a Thai fighter, Aswin
Sithlakmuang (22-9), traveled to
his turf, with a passionate
crowd at the Pelaez Sports
Center cheering on Toyogon.
Sithlakmuang had won nine
straight bouts going in, the
last seven by knockout, so it
was not an easy task for the
local man.
But Toyogon put on one of his
careers best performances,
out-boxed and out-hustled
Sithlakmuang in most of the
rounds, and was consequently
crowned the new World Boxing
Federation (WBF) World Light
Flyweight Champion in fine
fashion.
Adding two world championships
to his resume inside seven
months had not been easy, and
Toyogon took a deserved break
before returning to
training-camp in the summer of
1998. His first WBF world
title-defense had been scheduled
to take place in Thailand on
November 20.
In the opposite corner was PABA
Champion Linglom Por Tawatchai
(4-1), a young and strong
fighter who had surprisingly
lost his pro debut but bounced
back with four straight
impressive victories against
strong opposition to line up his
crack at Toyogon.
Entering the fight with
victories in his last five
fights, Toyogon was confident
that he could fend off the
challenge of the Thai hot-shot,
even in his back-yard, but at
the end of twelve rounds Por
Tawatchai was crowned the winner
by split decision.
His time as a champion over,
Toyogon soon slipped back into
the journeyman-role he had
carried so well earlier in his
career. He took on all comers,
many of the genuine world class,
gave everyone a hard nights
work, but he only managed to win
three of his final nineteen
fights.
In 2006, after losing his last
eight bouts, Toyogon called it a
career and retired with a final
record of 22-31-3 (5), a very
unusual tally for a former
two-weight World Champion.
However, at his best Toyogon
could beat most, and between
1996 and 1998 he was one of the
best in the world.
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