Payla stops Ukrainian; 2 others fall

BANGKOK — Violito Payla saved the day for a suddenly embattled RP Revicon Boxing Team Monday night when he stopped his rival to advance to the second round of the flyweight division competitions in the World Amateur Boxing Championships at the Nimibutr Gymnasium here.

The veteran Payla, using his experience to the hilt, disposed of Ukrainian Safiulin Artom in the third round with a third standing eight-count for an RSC-CCL (Referee Stopped Contest-Compulsory Count Limit) verdict.

"Straight, straight lang tapos lumulusot yung kanan ko kaya na-groge siya ng tatlong beses at hininto na ng referee. Lalo akong lumakas noon unang 8-count niya tapos ang lakas pa ng suporta ng mga kasamahan ko kaya hindi ko na tinigilan," said Payla who arranged a round-of-32 match with China’s Zov Gang on Tuesday night.

But as Payla advanced, featherweight Joegen Ladon and welterweight Florencio Ferrer bowed out of the championships, which attracted 334 boxers from 67 nations, as they dropped their respective bids against separate rivals.

Ladon, only in his third international tournament, absorbed a 27-18 decision from Frenchman Dangnoko Boubakar while Ferrer, after a two-round thrashing of his rival from Brunei in the first round, was routed by Romanian champion Lon Dan, 26-8.

"Maganda naman ang ipinakita nila Joegen at Florencio pero talagang hindi pa gaanong hinog. Lumaban sila nang husto pero sobrang bilis at galing sa counterpunching yung mga kalaban," said coach George Caliwan.

The two losses left only three other Filipinos — Harry Tanamor, Arlan Lerio and Payla — to keep the Nationals’ bid whose campaign here was made possible by Revicon with support from the Philippine Sports Commission, Family Rubbing Alcohol, Accel and Pacific Heights.

Lerio is set to start his campaign in the bantamweight division Tuesday when he meets a South Korean after the Payla-Zov bout. Tanamor, who drew a first round bye in the light flyweight class, tangles with an Indonesian on Wednesday.

Payla, Lerio and Tanamor need two more wins to figure in the medal fights.