Rustico Torrecampo’s Historic KO (Historic in Hindsight)

Rustico Torrecampo’s Historic KO (Historic in Hindsight)

This relatively unknown Filipino light flyweight fought from 1993-1997, compiling an unremarkable 14-8-6 mark, though six draws in 28 fights is a bit unusual. He was 1-4-1 in his last six outings with his sole win (and arguably his career second-best) coming against solid Noel Tunacao (28-4-2 at the time). But it was 25 years ago this month, on February 9, 1996 in Mandaluyong City, Manila, where he would win his biggest fight, though he would not know it at the time. His opponent, 11-0 and being touted as a comer, failed to make the weight and according to reliable sources was mandated to wear eight-ounce gloves, compared to Torrecampo’s six-ouncers. This was a penalty for weighing over the limit, and ostensibly a way to level the playing field.

Rustico controlled the action through the first two rounds over his poorly prepared and overconfident foe and then stepped things up in the third. As both parried, Torrecampo nailed a perfectly timed hook to the body as his heavier opponent was starting to come in. Many claim it was a head shot that ended up as a body shot, others say it was a fully torqued, incoming shot to the right side of the body, and a few contend it was a low blow. After maybe 300 reviews of the video, I am still not certain, but it did appear to be a borderline body shot, though a case can be made for each argument. At any rate, head, body, or low, it was academic, because the Kibawe native went down in a heap and was counted out after which the referee picked up his body like he was picking up a rag doll.

“Oh my God, it’s over, it’s over, oh my God. It’s over. His eyes are crossed. Oh my gosh!”—TV Announcer

“When he went down, I knew he wouldn’t get up. The referee could’ve counted to 100 and he wouldn’t have been able to recover. I prepared for him. I knew after throwing a jab, he would follow up with a straight or an uppercut. I waited for him to jab, then I countered.”— Rustico Torrecampo

To his great credit and determination, Torrecampo’s victim shook off the loss as a learning experience and immediately launched a streak of 15 wins, 13 ending by stoppage. As for Torrecampo, he failed to capitalize on the upset victory. A month after winning another fight against Ricky Sales, he suffered a wrist injury for which he inexplicitly failed to get medical treatment. The fracture did not heal properly, leaving him with the grisly sight of a small bone sticking out of his left wrist.

After his retirement from the ring, Torrecampo was involved in a vehicular dispute in Tondo that, after a heated argument, resulted in the killing of a garbage truck driver, a man named Ernesto Ongkit.

Torrecampo then had a sidewalk food stand. According to Maxim magazine writer Ed Tugade, he was allowed to park his stand near a health center in exchange for sweeping the streets in the vicinity. Ongkit accidently drove his garbage truck into Torrecampo’s stand, spilling the food on the street. The ex-boxer demanded that Ongkit pay for the damage, but Ongkit ignored him and drove off. Torrecampo chased after him on foot, caught up with truck and then, says Tugade, “jumped on Ongkit in the driver’s seat and stabbed him twice with a kitchen knife…Realizing what he had done, Torrecampo dropped the bloody knife at the scene of the murder and ran away.”

A warrant was issued for his arrest. Rustico remained a fugitive from the law for some time, but then apparently through a number of supportive interventions, he resurfaced 14 years later to knockout one Jovani Bualan (1-3), ending his career at an unremarkable 15-8-6.

But he will forever be able to tell his children and grandchildren that he knocked out one of the greatest fighters in the history of the ring.

His name was Manny Pacquiao.

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