Payla heads gold medal winners in RP Open boxing

World Championship-bound Violito Payla and Delfin Boholts came away with a pair of stoppages to capture the flyweight and lightwelter crowns, respectively, even as Philippine Navy-Bago City bagged the overall title with four gold medals at the close of the Smart National Open Boxing Championships Saturday in Cagayan de Oro City.

Payla, a gold medalist in last year’s Asian Games in Doha, engaged Rey Saludar of Davao Del Norte-A in a fiery exchange of heavy blows in the first two rounds but the Philippine Army bet battered the latter in the third with a flurry of punches, forcing the referee to stop their flyweight class showdown with 1:18 left.

Boholts, who with Payla and five others, is heading for the World Championship slated in Chicago in two weeks, averted a shutout for the hometown team Misamis Oriental as he outclassed Anthony Igusquiza of the Philippine Army in a  referee-stopped contest (RSC) due to injury  to clinch the lightwelter gold.

Albert Pabila, a national team mainstay, also scored an RSC-Outscored win over Davao City’s Frederick Dela Cruz to cop the light flyweight title.

Joining Pabila in the winners’ podium were teammates pinweight Bill Vicera, lightweight Joegin Ladon, welterweight Larry Semillano and light heavy weight Junie Tizon, who all won their gold medal matches in contrasting fashions.

Vicera won over Davao Del Norte-A‚s Rechie Behec via RSC-OS; Ladon won on points over Genebert  Basadre of Philippine Army, 40-33; Semillano outscored Wilfredo Lopez, 32-19; while Tizon smothered Davao City’s Almar Kelly Adiong in another RSC win for light heavy gold.

Orlando Tacuyan, a 19-year old sensation from Angeles City who beat two national team mainstays en route to the final, completed his gold medal romp by outduelling Davao del Norte-A’s Charlie Suarez, 51-43.

“I’m so happy to win the gold because I had beated two members of the RP team,” said the 5-foot-9 Tacujan, referring to his victories over Misamis Oriental’s Virgil Basadre and Joan Tipon of the Pacific Heights in his run-up to the finals.

Philippine Army, which topped the annual tournament last year in Tubod, Lanao Del Norte, finished with three gold medals courtesy of Army corporal Godfrey Castro, Maxim Tabangcoara and Payla.

Castro used his experience to foil the upset bid of Larry Abarra of Olongapo City in another RSC victory in the bantamweight class while Tabangcoara defeated stopped Army Marlong Golez in the third round.