Z “Butchoy” Gorres has been through it all. And after the kind of frustrations he has experienced, a lesser man would have cried “Uncle!”

Not so this Mandaue, Cebu native, who knows deep inside him that he deserves to be in the top echelon of boxers.

From the time he was 9 years old when he was first taken under the wings of Cebu boxing patron Tony Aldeguer’s ALA stable, Gorres had shown great promise, talent and skill which he parlayed into successful campaigns both in the amateur and professional ranks.

His run suffered a hiccup in June 2003 when he lost by TKO to Edgar Rodrigo at a time when he ignored an infected tooth. But he bounced back mightily, winning all of his bouts until that controversial split decision loss to Mexican world champion Fernando Montiel for the WBO superflyweight title.

I covered that fight for television and along with about 25,000 fans in attendance at the Cebu City Sports Complex and millions of television viewers, was dismayed at the decision. Although the fight was indeed close and Montiel did finish strongly, I felt Gorres dominated most of fight. But as I always say, a close fight can go either way. But I did not agree with the way the two judges who scored it for Montiel appreciated the fight, but that’s the way it goes.

So much for hometown decisions.

Six months later, Gorres scored a resounding 8th round TKO victory over former world champion Eric Ortiz of Mexico (28W, 18 KO’s, 8L, 7 by KO) whom Fil-Am Brian Viloria also knocked out in the first round in 2005 for the title.

Another opportunity presented itself last February when he faced another former world champion, Vic Darchinyan, again in his home province of Cebu, in an IBF super flyweight title eliminator. Once more, his campaign was foiled as the bout was adjudged a draw, marked by incompetent refereeing which was bewailed by both camps.

Tomorrow, Gorres again steps up to the plate, this time against an unknown but well-credentialed Nick Otieno of South Africa (15-1-5KO’s). If he wins, he gets another crack at the title against the winner of the Kirilov-Darchinyan faceoff in August.

While Gorres is not a powerpuncher in the mold of a Pacquiao, he is a great tactician who has earned the admiration of many boxing observers, including Freddie Roach, who has worked with him and who has glowing words about the soft-spoken Cebuano.

Fight night is tomorrow at the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug and the undercard also promises to be action-packed. Malcolm Tunacao, who avenged Manny Pacquiao’s loss to Medgoen Singsurat and annexed the WBC flyweight title in the process, tries to brush off the effects of a self-imposed hiatus and takes his first step towards a roaring comeback against Rashid Ally.

The boxing promotions’ battle cry of “One More time” is thus appropriate as Gorres and Tunacao are both looking at a new lease on their promising boxing careers.

There’s also this young man from Cagayan de Oro, Jason Pagara whom I personally saw last October and who impressed me with his power and exciting moves. I’m happy to know he will have his first exposure against a foreign opponent, Heri Ardiyanto of Indonesia.

Solar Sports will cover the ALA promotion for television.

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For the past couple of weeks, I have been keeping late nights in front of the computer because of a newly-discovered website. While I have favorite golf sites that provide news and other useful information, all of them are foreign based.

By accident, I came upon pinoygolfer.com and was pleasantly surprised by its wealth of content. I especially enjoy their forum section, where members exchange information on everything a golfer is interested in whether about equipment, instruction, style, the latest swing, or where to enjoy a post-game repast.

I have not yet registered as a member (from what I’ve gleaned it’s free), but I have already alerted several golf mates about the site.

The prime mover appears to be former Golf Digest Philippines editor Mike Besa. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure, but props up to you and your gang just the same, Mike!