Eumir Felix Marcial (right) with coach Boy Velasco.
ABAP images
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia – The ABAP national boxing team came home Sunday after a grueling week of competitions in the highly-charged Ulaanbaatar Cup 2017 here with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
Middleweight Eumir Felix Marcial of Zamboanga City, the World Junior champion in 2011 as a 15-year-old flyweight, used power and guile in disposing of his Chinese opponent Jan Xo Ja in the finals Saturday, 5-0.
Rio de Janeiro Olympian Rogen Ladon, from Bago City, was unfortunate to lose by a whisker to hometown boy Ganhuyag Gian-Erdene, 3-2, in the light flyweight class.
Bronze medalists were lightweight Charly Suarez (Davao del Sur) and featherweight Riza Pasuit (Bacolod).
“We are confident that the boys are going to peak at the right time both for the World Championships and the SEA Games. August is still about two months away and we still have some planned exposures for our boxers,” said Ricky Vargas, president of the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP).
“We are very thankful that the PSC and the MVP Sports Foundation have both been very supportive of our efforts.”
Suarez, also a Rio Olympian, bowed to still another Mongolian in the semifinals – Ganbaatar Bayarkhuu via split decision, 3-2.
Pasuit likewise salvaged a bronze after losing her semifinal match with Russian Natalya Chadrina, 5-0.
With the four-medal haul, the Philippines placed fourth overall in the Championships behind host Mongolia, North Korea and India. There were 14 teams in the tournament.
The other members of Team Philippines were flyweight Dannel Maamo of Cagayan de Oro, bantamweight Jorge Edusma of Cebu and female flyweight Judelyn Casin, also of CdO.
Coaches were Nolito Velasco, Gerson Nietes and Violito Payla.
The trip to Mongolia is part of the boxers’ preparations for the SEA Games in August in Kuala Lumpur. The Philippine Sports Commission bankrolled the boxers’ participation.