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Disgusted Arum blasts Pinoy Lumacad as quitter
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Top Rank/Chris Farina Photo
ATLANTIC CITY--First "Lollipop Cowboy" Jorge Arce gave overmatched Filipino Fernando Lumacad a generous pounding.
Then he was generous in a different way, immediately acquiescing when the awed, 23-year-old from GenSan asked him if he could have the four time world champion's boxing robe as a souvenior of their three round mismatch here Saturday night.
If anyone needed a reminder that not every Pinoy boxer is a Manny Pacquiao, Lumcad provided in a cynical mismatch that did what it was designed to do, to restore some luster and glow to the 52-5-1, 4O KOs Mexican's slightly fading career.
Even on paper this one looked bad with Lumacad having had a mere 21 pro bouts and never having fought anyone remotely close to Arce in skill.
Lumacad. now 18-3-1, flies back to the Philippines with his signed Arce robe and about $20,000 in his pocket.
He also went home with something else, a tag as a quitter.
Promoter Bob Arum did not like how Lumacad surrended meekly. When Arce tagged him and knocked him down, Lumacad took the count but seemed to be ready to resume fighting. Instead of rising, though, when looked more than capable, he remained on the ring floor and the fight was waved off.
"I'm no fighter," Arum said after the Latin Fury 9 PPV show, which was lackluster overall, at Boardwalk Hall hard by the historic oceanfront area.
"But it looked to me like the Filpino kid just quit. That is so unusual for a Filipino fighter."
One man who worked Lumacad's corner had the same disgusted view.
"Fernando told us he heard the referee count to seven," the trainer said. "We asked him through an interpreter why he did not get up then and resume fighting. Fernando just turned his head away. I agree with Arum because he is right. The kid did quit."
At Wednesday's press conference in Manhattan, the low key Lumacad did not seem especially confident, telling me only "this fight will go the distance."
Never say never but it's unlikely that Lumacad will be imported back to America for any more fights.
He got his autographed robe and he also went home with the worst reputation a pro fighter can have.
The No. 1 ranked Filipino flyweight fought like a flea.
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