Ladon settles for bronze at world boxing tiff

Editor's note: The bout was viewed through Dailymotion live streaming telecasts of the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Doha.  This article was originally published in The Filipino Connection and has been published with permission.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ Rogen Ladon settled for the bronze medal in the AIBA World Boxing Championships after losing a close shave to a scrappy Russian Vasilii Egorov in their semifinal match yesterday in Doha.

The fight was marked by a ton of holding and flurried counter-punching – all of which favored the Russian as Egorov relied on holding Ladon at bay and counter-punching the Filipino inside to eke out a 3-0 win (with all judges scoring 29-28 in favor of Egorov).

Ladon was visibly disappointed when Colombian Referee Arnaldo Carbonell raised Egorov’s hand, with the former bowing and reaching his left foot to at least hide his discontent.

While Ladon was operating more from the outside, Egorov baited the Filipino into exchanging blows while connecting lefts and rights to the face. Ladon was also counterpunching, but the approach is the Russian’s turf.

The final 13 seconds of the third round just revealed how Egorov won the bout: with him tied with Ladon and connecting inside.

The 21-year-old native of Bago City, Negros Occidental boxed differently versus Egorov compared to how the Filipino upset the division’s top seed, Joselito Altamirano of Mexico.

Ladon, though, is going home with a bronze medal that is the Philippines’ first medal in eight years at this biennial tournament. Former Olympian Harry Tañamor won the Philippines’ last medals at these Championships: a silver in 2007 and two bronzes in 2001 and 2003.

Egorov thus books a ticket to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Ladon, for his part, has two more chances to qualify: an Asian-level qualifying tournament in late March to April 2016 and another worldwide Olympic qualifying tournament also next year.

Ladon qualified for Doha after winning a silver medal in the Asian Boxing Championships a month before the Doha event.

Given the high level of competition here, the Philippines isn’t expected to win a medal until Ladon’s surprising three wins. Meanwhile, welterweight Eumir Marcial was outclassed by the reigning world champion and AIBA 2014 Boxer of the Year Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakhstan in an October 10 evening quarterfinal bout.

 Marcial also won a silver medal at the Asian Boxing Championships last September in Bangkok to qualify for Doha.

Ladon, ranked 17th in the world as of the September 25 rankings of the AIBA (International Amateur Boxing Association), is expected to go up notches higher in the world rankings after the Doha tournament. His bronze medal feat and Marcial’s quarterfinals showing are also the Philippines’ best showing at a world-level tournament since Tañamor’s silver in 2007.