Philippine boxers begin battle for gold

PHNOM PENH – Four Philippine boxers enter the ring today with serious intent of punching in the coveted gold medals in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games here.

First up are Olympian Rogen Ladon and Irish Magno and featherweights Ian Clark Bautista and Riza Pasuit, who seek to start a gold rush for a Filipino contingent in contention for nine mints in the finale spread over the next two days.

Ladon shoots for a three-peat in the men’s 51kg division against Thai Tharanat Saengphet while Bautista aims to retain the men’s 57kg mint versus Indonesian Asri Udin.

Magno, silver medalist last time, aims for an upgrade in her women’s 54kg title duel with old Thai rival Jutamas Jitpong as Pasuit looks to strike gold in the women’s 63kg class versus Vietnamese Thi Linh Ha after previously snaring a bronze in Hanoi.

The four hope to get things going before Tokyo Olympics runners-up Carlo Palaam and Nesthy Petecio, Paul Julyfer Bascon, Norlan Petecio, and John Marvin head to the battlefront tomorrow.

Paalam shoots for the men’s 54kg gold against Indonesia’s Aldoms Siguru, Bascon duels Thailand’s Rujakran Juntrong in the men’s 60kg finals, Nesthy’s younger brother Norlan meets Thai Bunjong Sinsiri in the men’s 67kg championship and Marvin guns for all the marbles in the men’s 80kg versus Thai Weerapon Jongjoho.

Former women’s world champ Petecio eyes a redeeming gold in the women’s 57kg against Indonesian Ratna Sari Devi after a disappointing bronze in Hanoi.

The Philippine pugs, still mourning the passing of former ABAP president Ed Picson last month, are in good position to vastly improve on their 3-1-5 haul last year.

“It will be a tougher competition in the finals. We hope we can execute the fight plan and finish strong,” said Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Marcus Jarwin Manalo.