The Philippine national anthem was played during the closing ceremonies of the six-nation tournament after Payla, a 5-foot-4, 22-year old son of a mango plantation caretaker in Cagayan De Oro, received the coveted gold medal for Team Caltex Philippines.
To cap his feat, Payla was also named the best foreign boxer in the tournament held in honor of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic champion who died in a car crash in 1994.
Team Caltex Philippines, also supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Pacific Heights and Adidas, also scored victories off the ring as Gregorio Caliwan was named the best foreign coach, and veteran Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) referee/judge Darcito Teodoro the best referee.
It was the first taste of international competition for the left-handed Payla, who pummeled Perez with his steady cross-straight combinations and vicious body blows, leading to a standing eight count for the Cuban national with barely three seconds left in their 51-kg match.
Payla’s victory thus avenged the heartbreaking 1-2 loss by lightfly Danilo Lerio against another Cuban, 1997 world youth champion Andy Lafita, in the other final bout. Lerio won the silver which went with the two bronze medals for the team courtesy of his older brother, Arlan, in bantamweight and lightwelter Romeo Brin.
The other members of Team Caltex here were featherweight Ramil Zambales, lightweight Joel Barriga, welterweight Reynaldo Galido and lightmiddle Junie Tizon. Also lending a big hand to the team were assistant coach Nolito Velasco and Alex Arroyo, a former SEA Games gold medallist.
Philippine amateur boxing President Manny Lopez commended the team for the job well done. "Mission accomplished. Once again, we are proud of our boxers. We got more than what we expected in Cuba and this only shows that we are still on track toward boxing excellence," he said.
The team’s overall performance in the Balado Cup surpassed the team’s previous best finish of a gold and two bronze medals in 1999 courtesy of Virgilio Vicero and the Lerio brothers. Last year, the team won a silver and two bronze medals through Larry Semillano, Brin and Danilo Lerio.
Team Caltex, training for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in September, also saw action in the Cordova Cardin boxing championships last week in Havana where it won four bronze medals, courtesy of Payla, Barriga, Galido and Arlan Lerio, against a field featuring the members of Cuba’s Team A, now in Ireland training for the world championships in June. In Cordova last year, Team Caltex failed to win any medal.
"Hindi ko din inasahan na manalo ng gold dito sa Cuba dahil mabigat ang mga kalaban. Dumating lang ang swerte," said Payla, who lost only once in five bouts here in Cuba during a two-week stay. Three of his victories came against Cuban boxers, and the other against an Ecuadorian with his lone defeat being dealt by 1996 Atlanta Olympics gold medalist Maikro Romero.
Payla’s bout with the 26-year old Romero, who won the bronze medal in last year’s Sydney Olympics as a lightfly, was adjudged the best bout in the Cordova meet where Team Caltex wound up second overall. Here in Balado, the Filipinos also wound up second behind the Cubans with Payla being the only non-Cuban gold medallist.
Caliwan, back as head coach following the ouster of Cuban mentor Raul Liranza after the Sydney Games, was so ecstatic with Payla’s victory but credited the entire team for giving the rest of the competitors here, including those from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic, a big run for their money.
"Three months na training pa lang ito balik sa ilalim ng all-Filipino coaching staff at ito na ang resulta. Masayang-masaya kaming mga Filipino coaches sa pinakita ng mga bata dahil lumaban sila ng husto at parehas. Pero patuloy din ang paghihirap sa training pagbalik natin sa Maynila," said Caliwan.