Lerio masters Thai; Ladon falls

KARACHI, PAKISTAN– RP Team-Revicon split its first two assignments with Arlan Lerio igniting the Filipinos’ campaign on Wednesday in the tough Green Hill Cup Boxing Tournament at the P.T. Complex here.

Lerio, a 26-year-old armyman and veteran of the Sydney Olympics, pulled off a masterful 17-6 victory over Yutthaphonsut Nongbu of Thailand in their bantamweight duel.

It could have been another auspicious start for the five-man national team backed by Pacific Heights, Accel and the Philippine Sports Commission but Junard Ladon fell prey to biased manual scoring by the judges in his featherweight match against Song Guk of South Korea.

The 20-year-old Bago City native was doing well in the first round against his taller rival when lights conked out of the coliseum.

When power resumed a few minutes later, the computer used in scoring failed to start and forced the organizers to order the five judges to resort to manual scoring.

Ladon, like Lerio a gold medalist in the recent first Goa Boxing Championships in India, managed to hold his ground until the fourth and final round but got the nod of only two judges as against the three who ruled in favor of the South Korean.

"Sayang ‘yung laban ni Ladon, matangkad nga ‘yung kalaban pero kayang-kaya niya. Kung computer scoring, mahirap sigurong matalo ang bata natin," said coach George Caliwan.

Despite the loss, the remaining four members of RP Team-Revicon remain hopeful that their winning streak in India, where they grabbed three golds and two silvers, will continue here.

Lerio, the pride of Antipas, North Cotabato who counts Gov. Manny Piñol among his benefactors, climbs the ring on Thursday against a South Korean foe.

Warlito Parrinas, 20, from Cadiz City, takes on Kim I-hyon of South Korea in a flyweight bout while navyman Florencio Ferrer of Bago City trades punches with lightwelter Somchai Nakbalee of Thailand.

"Swete pa rin tayo at hindi na-zero ang araw natin. Pulos mabibigat ang laban," said assistant coach Nolito Velasco.