Payla, 22, the fourth of nine children of a mango plantation caretaker in their home province, was the epitome of fine boxing when he won the bronze in the Cordova Cardin boxing championships, and the gold in the Roberto Balado Cup in Cuba, long considered as the breeding ground of the world’s finest amateur boxers.
It was the first international exposure for the 5-foot-4, left-handed flyweight but this fact hardly mattered as Payla showed grace under extreme pressure inside the ring in beating four of his five opponents, including three rated Cubans in a span of 12 days to gain the nod of Lopez and the entire coaching staff of Team Caltex.
"Payla is the product of our grassroots development program. After that regretful incident in last year’s Sydney Olympics, we made a vow to rebound. Payla’s recent exploits, and those of the other members of Team Caltex, proved that we’re back on the right track," said Lopez.
The boxing head, however, said that focus will not be on Payla alone as the country prepares for the Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games this September and the Pusan, South Korea Asian Games next year. "We will also give the other boxers the needed exposure before the SEA Games so we can really choose whom to field in the Kuala Lumpur meet," he said.
Lopez added that he will have a series of consultations with the coaching staff, led by Gregorio Caliwan and Nolito Velasco, in finalizing the roster for the SEA Games although Payla will surely be considered as one of the best bets, particularly in the flyweight (51 kg) class where Thailand’s Wijan Ponlid is the reigning Olympic champion.
"Okay si Payla. Magaling at buo ang loob. Kailangan na bantayan ang batang ito," said Caliwan whose sentiment was easily shared by Velasco. Also witnessing Payla’s impressive performance against some of Cuba’s best fighters in his class, including Atlanta Olympics gold medalist Maikro Romero, were the seven other members of the team which competed in Cuba.
Payla was magnanimous in victory, saying it was just a "stroke of luck." Told that this could be the start of something big, he merely shrugged off his shoulders and said it is all up to the coaching staff with regard to his stints in future international competitions.
"Kung bibigyan ulit ng pagkakataon, di lalaban ulit. Handa po ako," said Payla who embraced the sport as his ticket to a better future for him and his family. "Hindi din naman ako masyado naghahangad ng malaki. Basta patuloy na lang sa ensayo para kapag may pagkakataon, lalaban ulit kasama ang mga teammates ko."
Payla, who was barely 17 when Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco won the lightflyweight silver in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, also dreams of making it to the Olympic Games. But that will have to wait, he said. Because for now, only one thing is clear and certain: that he is a "bagito" no more.