MANILA – Negrense boxer Rogen Ladon delivered one of the country’s three gold medals in the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort Hotel in Thailand.
The Bago City, Negros Occidental fighter captured the men’s flyweight division gold via a stunning split decision victory over Indian Amit Panghal.
Ladon, a gold medal winner in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, fought methodically to clinch points in the first two rounds before surviving a late flurry from Amit in the final round.
Ladon, who once represented the country in the Olympics, was using the tournament as part of his preparation for the 31st SEA Games next month in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Aside from Ladon, also with gold medal for the Philippines were Riza Pasuit in the women’s lightweight division and Hergie Bacyadan in the women’s middleweight category.
Aside from the medals, Ladon, Pasuit and Bacyadan also received $2,000 (over P100,000) apiece as top finishers in the tournament organized by the Thailand Boxing Association.
“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.
Negrense boxer Ian Clark Bautista, meanwhile, failed to follow up to Ladon’s victory after settling for a silver medal finish in the men’s featherweight division.
The Binalbagan, Negros Occidental-native Bautista suffered a tough defeat to Serik Termizhanov of Kazakhstan in the finals.
Aira Villegas, for her part, settled for silver after faltering against Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam in the
Women’s flyweight division.
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./PN
