SOLO champion Frank Berin received the most coveted World Slasher Cup trophy in an awarding ceremony held recently at the Monet Ballroom of Novotel Manila Araneta Center.
Berin’s entry, Sebastian NEJ, tallied 8.5 points to rule over 306 participants at this year’s first edition of the WSC, which ran from Jan. 23 until Feb. 1 at the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum.
He has been joining WSC since 1995, using the popular entry Mulawin of former Rep. Rudy Albano, with which he won his first-ever WSC title in January 1999. He won again in June 2002 with his entry Scepter Mulawin. In recent years, he has been fielding the Sebastian entry with his brother Greg from Australia.
In this year’s WSC, Berin’s Sebastian NEJ entry outlasted the bird fielded by ARC March 10 in the finals witnessed by about 5,000 aficionados.
The second edition of 2017 World Slasher Cup Invitational 9-Cock Derby is set from May 22 to 28 at the Big Dome. Berin expressed interest in joining again to square off with local and foreign participants intent on returning to the fray after this year’s First Edition.
At the awarding, host Pintakasi of Champions also revealed the WSC 2 format in May: 2-cock eliminations on May 22 and 23; 3-cock semifinals on May 24 and 25; with a 4-cock pre-finals on May 26 and 27, and 4-cock grand finals on May 28.
The World Slasher Cup is the premier cockfighting derby in the country and has become the most prestigious in the world.
A participant from Oklahoma said he flew to the country just to compete this year, and marvelled at the Big Dome for being “one of the biggest facilities (for cockfighting) in the world.”
American John Seider, who also flew in just for WSC, noted, “(The World Slasher Cup is) the toughest place to be in.”
A man known to many repeat participants as Stickman, also from the US, agreed. “Your participants here (in WSC) are only the best of the best. If you don’t have good roosters, don’t come to the Slasher,” he declared.
The 2017 World Slasher Cup was supported by Thunderbird, B-Meg, Petron, and Excellence Poultry and Livestock Specialists, with Pit Games Media Inc. as media partner.