Saying goodbye can be one of the most difficult things in life. However, there are people who are able to overcome the earthly and keep in mind the road they have traveled together.
This Sunday in Caracas, Venezuela, we said “See you soon” to Gilberto Mendoza, President Emeritus of the World Boxing Association, because each person he met, and each person who came to celebrate his life with a holy funeral mass earlier today, carries a part of him in his or her heart.
After asking the Lord for the eternal peace for Sr. Mendoza, he was paid a well deserved tribute in which boxers, journalists, promoters and family participated. The first to speak at the moving ceremony was former WBA featherweight champion, Venezuelan Antonio Esparragoza.
“We have not lost,” he said. “Today we are going to plant a seed that will grow in our hearts and minds for all our life.” Esparragoza also stressed that boxing is Venezuela’s most important sport and thanks to Gilberto Mendoza, many great champions have come from Venezuela.
Then the prominent Venezuelan journalist José Visconti spoke. He said “Gilberto Mendoza was a man who had no need for defense, because as the popular aphorism says, ‘For their actions ye shall know them.’” Visconti evoked the great champions, past and present, that have emerged during the Mendoza era and the great affection that he always expressed in good times as well as bad.
American promoter Gary Shaw spoke next. “Gilberto was like a ray of sunshine,” he said movingly, “and when you are a ray of sunshine you can create a large shadow, and many of us have had the pleasure of walking in that shadow. Today that sunshine will digress slightly and that shadow will shrink a little, but the light will come again and will be in Gilberto Jesus Mendoza. We, the boxing family, crave that light and want to watch it grow and made large. Gilberto taught us that. He was a man whose word was worth more than his signature or a handshake, because what he said was as good as gold.”
Finally Sr. Mendoza’s son, current President of the WBA Gilberto Jesus Mendoza Alvarado, spoke.
“My dad left us a great legacy,” he said, “the ability to understand each other, to know what the other needs, to be brave in difficult times, but always willing to hug and find a balance. That’s where my dad was a titan. On behalf of my family I thank you from all my heart for being here with me at all times.”
Those who gathered this morning then prayed to Our Father, concluding a dignified farewell full of heartfelt emotion. The worlds of boxing, of scouts, of politics, of the sweetness of El Palmar and Gilberto Mendoza’s wonderful family joined together to celebrate the life of a man who gave his heart and soul to many people in many different areas, so that the seeds that were sown today will soon bear fruit.
The affection of all those who had the good fortune of knowing Gilberto Mendoza salute him and offer a handshake with the left hand…which is closer to the heart.
This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.
