The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Filipino boxers Rogen Ladon, Riza Pasuit and Hergie Bacyadan have brought home gold medals after a successful campaign in the 2022 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament at Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort Hotel here.
Ladon, reigning SEA Games flyweight champion, earned the nod of three judges for a 3-2 split decision upset over defending Asian Games titlist and 2019 AIBA World Championships silver winner Amit Panghal of India.
Ladon fought methodically to clinch points in the first two rounds before surviving a late flurry from Amit in the final round.
Meanwhile, SEA Games 2019 silver medalist Pasuit dictated the tempo right from the start with solid counterpunches against Italy’s Alessia Mesiano to rule the women’s lightweight division.
“I’m very happy. I expected the experience from Rogen to come out today. As for Riza, she is a very good counter-puncher and a great boxer moving forward,” said Philippine boxing team head coach Don Abnett.
Bacyadan, a wushu athlete-turned-boxer, capped off the national boxing squad’s successful stint with another gold after dominating Tran Thi Oanh Nhi, 5-0, in the women’s middleweight category.
Aside from the medals, Ladon, Pasuit and Bacyadan also received $2,000 (more than P100,000) each as top finishers in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Ian Clark Bautista (men’s featherweight) and Aira Villegas (women’s flyweight) settled for silver after faltering against higher-ranked opponents Serik Termizhanov of Kazakhstan and Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam, respectively.
With the three golds and two silvers, the PH boxing team already eclipsed its medal haul in the 2019 edition (1 gold, 1 bronze) and 2018 iteration (1-1-2 gold-silver-bronze) when it seized the overall championship together with the host nation.
“I think we’ve exceeded our expectations because as you know, our boxers have come from a long period of inactivity. We’re happy with where we are right now,” said Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) president Ed Picson.
After the Thailand Open, Picson said the Filipino boxers will head back to Muak Lek training camp to resume their preparation for next month’s 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam and 2022 AIBA Women’s World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey.