Going for gold

In a remarkable turnaround, the Philippine boxing team of six men and two women has suddenly come alive from suffering a succession of early setbacks to advance three fighters to the semifinals for a chance to strike gold at the Asian Games. 

Lightflyweight Carlo Paalam, 20, flyweight Rogen Ladon, 24 and middleweight Eumir Marcial, 22 are the last three standing for the Philippines. They’re all fighting in the semifinals today with a guaranteed bronze in the bag and a ticket to the final awaiting each winner. Ladon takes on Thailand’s Yuttapong Tongdee at 3:15 p.m. (Manila time), Paalam faces India’s Amit Panghal at 7:15 p.m. (Manila time) and Marcial battles Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov at 8:45 p.m. (Manila time). 

POC secretary-general and ABAP vice president Patrick Gregorio said he’s confident the boxers will add to the country’s gold harvest. “We sent a well-trained boxing team to the Asian Games,” he said. “Three boxers in the semis is good. But we need these tough men to deliver, too, to add to the four golds from our Women Power.”

Gregorio said the early losses spurred Paalam, Ladon and Marcial to fight harder than ever before. Women’s featherweight Nesthy Petecio, women’s flyweight Irish Magno, lightweight James Palicte, welterweight Joel Bacho and bantamweight Mario Fernandez were eliminated in their first bouts. Petecio appeared to be a victim of a bum split decision while Fernandez was on the way to a win on points when he was knocked out in the third round. “Breaks of the game,” said Gregorio. “One questionable decision, one lucky punch.”

Gregorio said POC and ABAP president Ricky Vargas’ message to the three fighters was brief and to the point. “Let’s go for gold,” said Gregorio, quoting Vargas. “Make our country proud and very happy. It’s also for you. The reward is waiting. It can be done.”

ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson said he’s 100 percent sure the three fighters are capable of advancing to the final. “They still have to do what they need to do,” he said. “And I know they can do it. Before the quarterfinals, Mr. Vargas urged our boxers to do their best, to uphold our country’s golden tradition in boxing. After the three made it to the semifinals, he got them together and reminded them not to be content with what they were able to achieve. There is still work to be done and they need to finish the job.”

At presstime, the Philippines had four golds in the medal tally. One more and it will be the most golds for the Philippines in the Asian conclave in over 50 years. At the previous Asian Games in Incheon four years ago, the Philippines collected only one gold from BMX cyclist Daniel Caluag. 

In the quarterfinals, Paalam ousted Kazakhstan’s Temirtas Zhussupov, 4-1, Ladon took out Kazakhstan’s Azat Mahmetov, 3-2 and Marcial decisioned South Korea’s Kim Jin Jea, 5-0. “All three of them didn’t overextend themselves in the quarters,” said Picson. “Maybe, to a certain extent, Ladon because he was cut over the right eye because of a headbutt and the referee summoned the doctor in the very first round. But his sniping was accurate and his solid boxing stance allowed him to attack time and again. The cut won’t be a problem in the semifinals.”

As for Paalam, Picson said he has more to show. “Carlo’s a clever boxer,” he said. “Mayor Oca Moreno of Cagayan de Oro introduced me to the boy when he was about 10. Mayor Oca is very proud of the boy and rightly so. At a young age, Carlo already had the moves of a skilled fighter. Carlo told me he wasn’t at his best in the quarters and he’ll give it his all in the semis. Marcial also held back in the quarters although he scored almost at will. He’s known as a power puncher and KO artist but he felt he could win an easy decision and conserved his energy for the bigger fights ahead.”

Paalam’s opponent Amit is an Indian soldier who bagged the silver at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia but sustained a left arm injury in the process. Amit, 22, displayed a high skill set and dizzying speed in dominating North Korea’s Kim Jang Ryong, 5-0, in the quarterfinals. His coach is Santiago Nieva, a Swedish citizen of Argentine descent. Nieva, 42, boxed for Argentina at the 1997 World Cup.

Ladon will meet a Thai veteran who’s dropping down from bantamweight. Tongdee eked out a 3-2 split decision over Mongolia’s Gankhuang Gan-Erdene in the quarters to book the showdown with Ladon. Tongdee, whose coach is Cuban Julian Gonzales, has won a bronze at the Cordova Cardin Cup in Havana as a bantamweight in 2017 and at the Tammer Cup as a flyweight in Finland in 2014. 

Marcial’s foe Madrimov was the welterweight silver medalist at the last Asian Games. He’s a national hero in Uzbekistan. Last year, Madrimov won the gold at the Asian Championships in Tashkent and finished fifth at the World Championships in Hamburg. He was Uzbekistan’s flag-bearer at the opening parade of this year’s Asian Games. To make it to the semifinals, Madrimov ousted Iran’s Mousavi Seyedshahin, 5-0. The 5-11 Marcial is two inches taller than the Uzbek.