TAGGED as the “Boxing Capital of the Philippines,” Bago City has added three more wins to emerge as the top team in the Visayas quarterfinals of the ongoing PSC-Pacquiao Amateur Boxing Cup at the Enan Chiong Activity Center Naga City, Cebu on Sunday.
The Bago City boxers, mentored by 2000 Sydney Olympian Larry Semillano, made a clean sweep of their seven bouts in the two-day event sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) in coordination with the Office of Sen. Manny Pacquiao.
Carlo Guevarra and Nel Tambanillo both scored referee-stopped-contest wins while Jasper John Anda had an easy job with a walk-over win against Calbayog’s Marvin Lucenesio in the Youth Boys bantamweight (56 kilograms or kg) division.
Guevarra also stopped Calbayog’s Minvil Valad-on in 1:10 of the opening round in the Youth Boys light flyweight (46-49 kg) category.
Tambanillo landed solid combinations in the second round to force Bayawan’s Renz Lee Teves to quit at the start of Round 3 in flyweight (52 kg) category.
Semillano, a gold medalist in the 1997 Jakarta Southeast Asian Games, said he has prepared well for the game.
Four other Bago boxers won earlier on Day 1 last Saturday. Pinweight Rodel Gamo (44-46 kg), light flyweight Samuel Manale (48 kg), flyweight Joshua Belicena (50 kg) and light bantamweight Flint Jara (52 kg) scored contrasting wins in the Junior Boys division to also advance to the Visayas semifinals set on March 17 in Calbayog City.
“Balik eskuwela muna ang mga bata for two weeks pero tuloy pa rin ang practice tuwing hapon (The boys will go back to school first for two weeks but their practice will continue every afternoon),” said Semillano.
Omega team of Mandaue City added two more wins to finish second with a total of five qualifiers to the semifinals. Flyweight April Jay Abne bombarded Cadiz’s Mark Alob with solid combinations en route to a referee-stopped-contest (RSC) in 2:16 of round 2.
Bantamweight Jhorne Pasculado pummeled to submission Maasin’s Andy Poblete at 1:43 of round 3.
After two walk-over wins on day 1, Victorias City got two hard-earned victories in the Youth Boys division from flyweight Genel Alit and bantamweight Herlan Gomez.
Alit stopped Murcia’s Joven Caguan by RSC in 1:56 of round 1 while Gomez downed La Carlota’s Terso Ello via RSC in 2:43 of the first round.
Murcia finished with three wins followed both by Cebu and Escalante with two.
The other results in day 2 all in the Youth Boys Division:
Light flyweight (46-49 kg) Michael Adolfo (Cadiz) def. Jaylord Redondo (DSB) by RSC in Round 3 Edmund Oro (Escalante) def. Jimmybe Cais (CCSI) by split decision, 3-2
Flyweight (52 kg) – Johnro Taneo (CCSI) def. Gilbert Cainap (Cebu) by walk-over
Bantamweight (56 kg) – Mike Angelo de la Torre (Murcia) def. Gerald Postrano (Sipalay) by RSC in rest period of Round 2
Lightweight (60 kg) Romer Pinili (Bayawan) def. Randy Tanodra (SBC) by unanimous decision. (PNA)