Monday, May 12, 2008 8 Negrense RP boxers triumph in ABAP nat'l tourney
NEGROS Occidental boxers who are mainstays of the national team stamped their class anew on the opposition as hostilities in the 2008 PLDT-Smart National Open, Youth and Women's Amateur Boxing Championships drew to a close Saturday at the Robinson's Mall in Iloilo City.
Representing different clubs, the Negrenses once again underscored their dominance of the centerpiece event organized by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) and staged to discover talents for the national team that will most likely carry the country's colors in forthcoming international competitions.
Joan Tipon of Barangay Banago in Bacolod City, the 15th Asian Games bantamweight gold medalist, led the Negrense winners by topping the featherweight class after defeating fellow Negrense Jogen Ladon of Bago City in the finals.
Defending champion Albert Pabila of Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City, frustrated Froilan Saludar's hopes of topping the finals by retaining his lightflyweight crown after eliminating Lordveman Bautista of Puerto Princesa in the semis, 28-8.
The other Negrenses who dominated their rivals in winning the championships in their respective weight divisions were former Asian Games gold medalist Reynaldo Galido (heavyweight), Junie Tizon (light heavyweight), Larry Semillano (welterweight), Lhyven Salazar (bantamweight), and Bill vicera (pinweight).
Meanwhile, two standouts of the Monico Golden Gloves stable also pocketed golds in the youth division, serving notice that the inter-barangay grassroots competition that kicked off last December as an outreach program of the congressional district office of Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella is on the right track.
Pocketing golds were Joren Labordo (31 kgs.) and Gerson Nietes Jr. (46 kgs.).
The Negrense gold medalists are expected to grace the weekly SCOOP Interaction sports forum this Saturday, May 17, 8-9AM, at the Grand Regal Hotel. The sports public affairs show, aired live over RPN DYKB 1444 khz. and sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) through Negrense commissioners Eric Loretizo and Ritchie Garcia in cooperation with Leo Vision, is a project of SCOOP Bacolod, the Sports Communicators Organization of the Philippines headed by George Liza.(HCV)
