Pinoy Ladon one away from bagging ticket to Rio Olympics

DOHA, Qatar – Light flyweight Rogen Ladon shifted gears in his third fight in the AIBA World Boxing Championships Saturday afternoon and masterfully dominated his Polish foe Dawid Jagodzinski, 3-0, to advance to the semifinals at the fabulous Ali Hamad Al Attiya Arena.
In the evening session, however, 19-year-old Eumir Felix Marcial ran into his old nemesis World number-1 Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakhstan and had his campaign come to a screeching halt as he lost, 27-30, on all three judges’ scorecards.
Ladon,  known as an explosive boxer who is continuously on the attack, followed the game plan drawn up by his coaches Nolito Velasco and Romeo Brin. The veteran mentors scouted the Russian boy’s boring style. The 21-year-old Bago-native patiently waited in ambush and met the oncoming attack with a barrage of blows.
The three judges from Argentina, Puerto Rico and Russia all gave the Filipino boy the nod, 30-27, over three rounds.
The tournament is the first Olympic qualifier for boxing and Ladon needs to win his semifinal round match against Russia’s Vasili Egorov, who is seeded number 4 here.
But Ladon has made waves, especially after out-pointing number-1 seed Joselito Velazquez Altamirano on Thursday.
The Marcial-Yeleussinov fight was actually closer than the scores reflected. The clever Kazakh coupled his defensive game with some sneak attacks that frustrated the young Zamboangueño.
There will be three more Olympic qualifiers next year, including one for APB and WSB  boxers.