MANILA – Negrense amateur boxer Rogen Ladon settled for a silver medal finish in the 2018 President’s International Boxing Cup held recently in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The Bago City, Negros Occidental native failed to pull off an upset in the finals of the 52 kg weight division following a decision loss to hometown boxer Anvar Muzaparov.
Ladon, a 2017 Rio de Janeiro Olympian, reached the championship round of the week-long event after a 5-0 unanimous decision win against AIBA World Youth Championship gold medalist Sachiin Siwach of India in the semifinals.
Muzaparov, on the other hand, reached to the final round after scoring a 5-0 unanimous decision victory against Ryusei Baba of Japan.
It was the second time Ladon suffered a defeat on points against a Kazakh foe in the championship round after his split decision loss to Zhomart Yerzhan in the finale of the 17th AIBA World Championship in Hamburg, Germany last year.
Ladon was the lone boxer from the Philippine delegation to take home a medal from the competition. His teammates Charly Suarez, Caroline Calungsod, Ramel Macado, and Jorge Edusma faltered in their respective events.
Ladon is among the boxing heroes from Bago City, following the footsteps of 1992 Barcelona Olympics bronze medalist Roel Velasco and his younger brother, Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco who won the silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics./PN
