MANILA – Philip Delarmino seized the World Muay Thai Council Asian featherweight crown after stunning hometown bet Zakaria Eljamari on Saturday at the Festival Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Dumangas, Iloilo-native fighter, had an impressive showing from start to finish to upset Eljamari via unanimous decision.
“I’m happy that all my sacrifices have paid off,” the Ilonggo fighter said after the match. “There was really no secret to success. You really just have to work hard every day and also to pray.”
“This is for God who made all this possible,” added Delarmino, who earlier works as a scavenger in Dumangas before finding his niche in the sport when he fights in small muay thai tournaments.
For the 31-year-old Delarmino, his match against Eljamari served as his preparation for the upcoming 2021 Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Delarmino, the team captain of Team Bagsik national muay thai team, was a gold medal winner in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. He also netted the biennial games’ gold in the men’s 57-kilogram division after defeating Vietnam’s Long Doan Nguyen in the finals.
Prior to that, Delarmino settled for a silver medal finish in the 2013 SEA Games and failed to advance to the medal round in 2017.
He was also a silver medalist in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and the 2014 Asian Beach Games./PN
