Boxers bag 5 gold medals

TAIPEI – The all-rookie PLDT-ABAP national boxing team put on an impressive performance in the second Taipei City Cup International boxing tournament, winning five gold medals with Rogen Ladon and Joel Bacho leading the charge at the Taiwan Coliseum.

 Ladon bucked a two-point deduction in the third round and beat Japanese Kenshiro Teraji, 19-10, in the lightflyweight finals while Bacho humbled a more seasoned Syuichiro Yoshino and fashioned out a 15-8 victory to claim the 64-kg gold.

Also winning their final round bouts were Maricris Igam (48 kg), Irish Magno (51 kg) and Mario Fernandez (56 kg).

“This validates what we have been saying all along. We have a vibrant grassroots development program that has identified the best potentials from the countryside. These boys and girls give us hope for the future,” said ABAP president Ricky Vargas, also the head of Maynilad Water Corporation.

Igam actually led the gold medal rush by beating Nguyen Thi Luong of Vietnam, 25-10. The Puerto Princesa lass also ran away with the Best Female Boxer plum.

Magno followed suit with an equally dominant performance against Taipei’s Pin Meng-Chieh, hitting the latter with a solid left to the kisser in the third round for an 8-count and then bloodying her nose in the fourth, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Fernandez, meanwhile, cut the taller Lin Yu-Che of Taiwan down to size, scoring a 19-9 romp.

The other two members of the team, handled by coaches Nolito Velasco, Romeo Brin and Violito Payla, were Janice Vallares, who got a bronze in the 60 kg category, and lightweight Darwin Tondahan.