Jose J. Cantada, better known as "Smokin'" Joe Cantada, (March 15, 1942 – March 22, 1992) was a
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
TV host, anchor & commentator. He died of lung cancer in March 1992. He distinguished himself with his smooth baritone voice and his flawless use of figures of speech and idioms in calling sports events.
Together with Pinggoy Pengson, Cantada was a senior anchorman for the '' Vintage Sports''' PBA coverage in the 1980s. He was previously a boxing and cycling commentator.
Career
Cantada started his career as a staff announcer doing an early morning program for a radio station in 1962. He then transferred to DZHP where he spent many years honing his talents with the likes of
Harry Gasser
Harry Gasser (December 2, 1936 – April 3, 2014) was a Philippine news presenterRonnie Nathanielsz, Larry Cruz and others. He did the coverage of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where he did the blow-by-blow account of the final round loss by
Anthony Villanueva
Anthony N. Villanueva (March 18, 1945 – May 13, 2014) was a boxer from the Philippines. He competed in the featherweight (−57 kg) division at the 1964 Olympics and won a silver medal. Shortly after the Olympics he turned professional, but ...
to Soviet boxer Stanislav Stepashkin.Smokin' Joe throws in towel vs Big C Manila Standard, March 24, 1992
One of Cantada's greatest moments were being the ring announcer at the
Thrilla in Manila
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier lll, billed as the "Thrilla in Manila", was the third and final boxing match between WBA, WBC, and '' The Ring'' heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, and Joe Frazier, for the heavyweight championship of the world. T ...
fight between
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
and
Joe Frazier
Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fi ...
and doing the commentary of the first
Sugar Ray Leonard
Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professiona ...
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Thomas Hearns
Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowe ...
bout in Las Vegas.
From there, he moved on to far greater heights by anchoring the PBA games for its television production franchise holder, Vintage Enterprises in 1982. For the first eight years of Vintage's coverage, the program had Cantada as its main broadcaster with Pinggoy Pengson, Sev Sarmenta and Ed Picson as three of its play-by-play commentators. The last coverage of Cantada was the replay of Shell vs. Purefoods game held last April 9, 1991.
Death
Cantada's last TV appearance was when he became the play-by-play commentator for the replay match of the controversial Shell-Purefoods game on April 9, 1991. He bade goodbye unexpectedly because of health problems. This resulted in a bum stomach that rushed him in
Makati Medical Center
Makati Medical Center (MMC), also known as Makati Med, is a tertiary hospital in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines with more than 600 beds. The hospital was founded on May 31, 1969. The hospital is owned and operated by Medical Doctors Inc., a ...
later that day; Cantada then went to the US to check his throat infection but doctors discovered that he had lung cancer, which was incurable that time. The commentator died on March 22, 1992, in San Francisco, California.
A tribute was held in his honor by the PBA a day after he died. Sev Sarmenta hosted the special program at the NASA (now PhilSports Arena).Swift forces playoff, but tribute to Joe steals show Rocky Nazareno, Manila Standard, March 24, 1992.
On May 29, 2005, he was posthumously inducted as one of the first members of the
PBA Hall of Fame
The Philippine Basketball Association Hall of Fame is an institution that honors selected former players and personalities of the Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketbal ...