Mandaue, Cebu pugs start with wins

Friday, January 27, 2012

MANILA - Defending champion Mandaue City and archrival Cebu City secured two victories each in the opening day of the 2012 PLDT-ABAP Visayas Area Amateur Boxing Championships at the Robinson’s Mall in Dumaguete City.

Mandaue’s Kevin Jake Cataraja and 14-year-old Hipolito Banal led their team’s initial surge but Cebu City, which won the title in the first staging of the event in 2010, matched Mandaue’s output after Stevel Noblefranca and Junrel Jimenez also hurdled separate assignments.

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Cataraja, who ruled the Youth boys flyweight division (52kg.) last year, survived cramps on both legs to post a hard-earned 19-14 victory over Argie Alabado of Bago City.

Banal, on the other hand, defied the height advantage and hometown support of Daniel Folio of Dumaguete City B to hack out a masterful 18-2 win in the junior boys pinweight (56kg.) division.

“Our goal here is to win the overall title again and send as many boxers as we can to the National Finals in Tagbilaran. We have seven boxers competing here and we are looking at winning at least five gold medals with Banal and Cataraja as two of our favored boxers,” said Mandaue coach Rey Muñez.

Cebu City’s Noblefranca scored an 18-3 win over Jusua Sambajon of Northern Samar in the Youth Boys flyweight, while Jimenez handed Tagbilaran’s Ritchie Sumabong two standing eight counts for a Referee-Stopped-Contest (RSC) victory in the 1:58 point of the second round in the Junior Boys pinweight class.

Archie Romero provided relief for host Dumaguete City with a resounding RSC victory over Northern Samar’s Monsour Grancioso, as the third man on the ring opted to stop the fight with 1:21 in the second round after Romero connected with a solid left straight.

The other winners were Negros Occidental’s Danjay Nietes and Mark Anthony Montenola, who also booked separate victories while Tagbilaran’s Cantel Cherwellan completed the opening day winners.