31 arrested for street boxing in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines - Thirty-one persons – boxers, bettors, and officials – were arrested during a raid on a street boxing match in Barangay Del Monte, Quezon City yesterday.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Nicanor Bartolome said the match is patterned after cockfighting, with the boxers fighting two rounds at two minutes per round.

Bartolome said a match would be held every Sunday at the corner of Morato and Wilson streets, and he ordered the raid following complaints by residents.

Among those arrested were “boxers” Andy Bucoy, 22, and Reynard Pagsuguinon, 25; “referee” Richard Mendoza, 32, and “timer” John Jeffrey Jamison, 30, according to Bartolome. The others who were arrested were bettors.

Superintendent Remus Medina, head of the NCRPO’s regional police intelligence and operating unit (RPIOU), said Bucoy and Pagsuguinon were wearing boxing gloves when police raided the area.

“The bettors were shouting and getting bets when we announced the raid. We recovered an undetermined amount of bets,” he said.

Medina said they will charge those arrested with holding an unauthorized boxing match and alarm and scandal. The 31 respondents are detained in the RPIOU headquarters at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City.