Ladon, Villegas guaranteed of boxing bronze in Boxam Elite tourney

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino Olympian pug Rogen Ladon and Aira Villegas pulled off contrasting results to assure themselves of a bronze medal in the Boxam Elite in La Nucia, Spain.

Ladon, a 2016 Rio de Janerio Games veteran and World Championship bronze winner, did just enough to edge Nick Richards of Wales, 3-2, while Villegas routed Ireland’s Caitlin Fryers, 5-0, to barge into the semis.

There, Ladon squares off with Mexican Ari Bonilla, a 4-1 winner over Hungarian Attila Bernath, while Villegas battles England’s Kelsey Oakley, who routed Hungary’s Petra Mezei with an identical 5-0 result.

Ladon is on the comeback trail after failing to make the cut for what could have been his second Olympic stint in the 2021 Tokyo Games where the Filipino boxers scooped up two silvers from Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio and a bronze from Eumir Marcial.

The wins by Ladon and Villegas cushioned the impact of the losses suffered by countrymen Riza Pasuit (women’s 60kg), Mark Ashley Fajardo (men’s 43lg) and Ronald Chavez, Jr. (-71kg).

Pasuit succumbed to Kazakhstan’s Aidana Zabynbekova, 4-1; Fajardo sputtered against England’s Cameron McKay, 3-2; and Chavez fell to Uzbekistan’s Asadullaev Khavasbek, 5-0.

Filipinos left standing were Paalam, Petecio and Hergie Bacdayan, a former wushu fighter and 2022 world champion in vovinam.

They are all eyeing spots to this July’s Paris Olympics and join already qualified Marcial.