Who was Clever Sison?

He called himself the uncrowned world featherweight boxing champion and according to Benigno (Clever) Sison’s youngest son Tony, it was incontrovertible.

- By JOAQUIN M. HENSON

In July 1933, Sison pounded out a 10-round decision over Mexican legend Baby Arizmendi at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento and that was his claim to fame.

Arizmendi was once the world featherweight titlist and battled co-Hall of Famer Henry Armstrong, the only man to hold world championships in three divisions simultaneously, in five fights. Another world featherweight champion whom Sison faced was Freddie Miller.

“I never saw my father fight, not even on film,” said Tony, who was born four years after Sison fought his last bout against Mike Dempsey at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in November 1943. “But I watched him train fighters, shadow boxing, holding up mitts. He was the Freddie Roach of his time. I was told he was a stylist, very slick and hard to hit. He wasn’t a big puncher although his left hook was deadly but had the skills to outsmart his opponents which is why he had the nickname Clever.”