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Wednesday,
October 02, 2002
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Hopes high for Oro's
Payla in Asean Games
By Lynde Salgados
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HIS name may not as popular as billiard king Efren "Bata" Reyes or fellow boxer Onyok Velasco, but flyweight Violito Payla of Cagayan de Oro could end up a hero in the ongoing Asean Games in Busan, South Korea.
Payla, a son of mango caretakers in Brgy. Canitoan, had been reaping laurels in international competitions--one after the other--before joining the Philippine delegation in the biennial meet.
In fact, the product of the city's Weekly Boxing at the Park who almost lost his life in a freak stabbing incident here, several years ago, had the feared Cubans among his countless victims in previous overseas outings.
"Your boy is obviously one of the best boxers in the RP team. We're not just pinning our gold hopes in Payla in the Asean Games but we're also hoping him to represent the country one day in the Olympics," Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (Paba) president Manny Lopez made these encouraging words to Brgy. 06 chairman Mario Eronico, Payla's long-time mentor since he started his boxing career in Cagayan de Oro along with older brother, Billy who is now inactive.
Boxing contributed the most number of golds at 12 for RP's collective effort in the Asian Games.
But it went zero in 1998. RP pugs who produced the last golds in 1994 in Hiroshima, Japan were Onyok Velasco, Reynaldo Galido and Elias Recaido.
It was almost eight years ago. So, Payla and the rest of the RP simonpures are raring to follow in their footsteps.
Looking back, veteran sportswriter Procs Maslog said he did not expect the younger Payla's mercurial rise to the top.
"Of course mas talented siya kang Billy pero nadunggaban man god na'ng bataa sa rugby boy diha sa Divisoria. Abi nako'g dili na makabalik sa pagpamoksing. Dakong garbo nato iyang pag-represent sa nasod sa Asian Games," said Maslog, among the old guards of the Weekly Boxing at the Park wherein he earned a reputation as a credible ring judge.
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