Pasuit, Chavez win boxing worlds openers

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ Riza Pasuit and Ronald Chavez Jr. pulled off contrasting results to launch their respective campaigns with a bang in the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

Pasuit overwhelmed Saudi Arabia’s Ragad Alnaimi via a second-round RSC (referee stopped contest) victory that catapulted the Southeast Asian Games silver medalist straight to the round-of-16 of the women’s 60-kilogram class.

There, she will battle Brazilian Rebeca Santos, who drew an opening-round bye, on Tuesday.

For the 26-year-old Chavez, whose father Ronald, Sr. and uncle Arlo were Olympians, he had to draw strength from a strong start to overcome a late, furious challenge of Irishman Matthew McCole via a win on points, 3-2.

It propelled Chavez to the round-of-16 of the men’s 70kg class versus Frenchman Makan Traore, who smashed Chinese Taipei’s Kan Chia-Wei, 5-0.

But it wasn’t all rainbows as the country suffered its first casualty following Junmilardo Ogayre’s 5-0 defeat at the hands of Kazakhstan’s Biibars Zhexen in the men’s 60kg round-of-32.

Tokyo Olympics silver winner Carlo Paalam is trying to advance further as he tackles Dominican Republic’s Junior Alcantara in the men’s 55kg Sunday.

The two-time Olympian from Cagayan de Oro was coming off a dominant unanimous win over Taiwanese Hsu Chiao Chun Friday.

Also fighting for dear life was Mark Ashley Fajardo, who was clashing with Ukrainian Elvin Aliiev in the men’s 65kg section.