Five for five for Phl pugs

KUALA LUMPUR – The PLDT-ABAP Developmental Team, composed of products of a grassroots development program, swept all five categories its boxers were entered in in the five-day Kuala Lumpur Day tournament at the Taman Titiwangsa Stadium.

The team won five of eight categories, becoming the winningest team in the competition which drew boxers from Singapore, Qatar, Brunei, Hong Kong, the Philippines and host Malaysia, which fielded several teams.

Jade Bornea, the 17-year-old who won the bronze medal in the World Youth Championships in Armenia late last year, led the finals campaign with a close 13-11 win over a wily Malaysian Air Force boxer, Mohamad Shahril Razni, 24, in their 49 kg light-flyweight match.

His compatriot from General Santos City, Roldan Boncales,19, bucked a slight fever to upend Singaporean Mohamed Hanurdeen Hami, 20-9 in the 52 kg championships.

Lanky Jonas Bacho dominated his bantamweight (56 kg) final with a win over another Singapore bet, Mohamed Ajmil Hamid, 15-8. However, it took all his grit and strength as he was accidentally hit by an elbow on his right bicep which immediately swelled and caused him much pain.

The eldest of the group, 20-year-old Nico Magliquian, in only his second international stint, had to go to countback in his lightweight bout against Abdulateef Mohamad Sadiq of Qatar after the final score was tied at 16-all. Three of the five judges gave the nod to the Filipino from Mandaluyong.

Doing clean-up operations was 2011 World Junior champion Eumir Felix Marcial. A gangling 52 kg when he won the championship in Kazakhstan a year and a half ago, he has now bulked up to the 64 kg light welterweight class and built up a reputation as a knock-out artist here as his two previous bouts ended in stoppages.

In the Tuesday semis, Marcial’s opponent Effendy Kalai went down unconscious in the first round after a 2-punch combination punctuated by a wicked right cross caught him flush on the kisser.

The Malaysian Navy man, whose mother traces her roots to Palawan, was out for more than 2 minutes before he regained consciousness. After a 24-hour observation period in the hospital, he was on hand to congratulate and take pictures with Marcial during the awarding ceremonies.

Marcial’s opponent in the finals, Wan Mohd Rizuan Wan Aziz was obviously intimidated by the 17-year-old Zamboangueño’s reputation that even though he displayed some guts in trying to engage several times, he was, for the most part back-tracking especially after getting hit by some of the Filipino boy’s haymakers. To his credit, Aziz was on his feet when the final bell rang.

ABAP president Ricky Vargas expressed elation on his boys’ five-gold haul.

“We wanted to give them exposure for the upcoming ASBC Asian Youth Championships in Subic this March. But these boys are very determined. They know the competition in Subic is going to be much tougher. So they toughened up in KL. we’re very happy for them especially because the Malaysian organizers gave them one thousand US dollars each as cash incentive!” Vargas gushed.

Team coaches were three-time Olympian Romeo Brin and former national boxer Elmer Pamisa. Delegation head was ABAP executive director Ed Picson.