The 24-year-old southpaw went toe-to-toe with the shifty, hard-hitting Bulgarian for four thrilling rounds and showed he was better in all aspects in a performance that firmed up his reputation as a world beater – and a top prospect for next year’s Olympic Games in Greece.
The close 28-26 win came as the biggest surprise of the finals, considering decisions against the Bulgarian and Russian bloc the entire week had come as rare as the sun peeking through the clouds in this charming Finnish capital that is covered by snow for much of the year.
As it is, Payla’s win was one of only two that got away from the Russians and Bulgarians in the 10 weight classes where they fielded entries.
Former youth standout Junard Ladon settled for the silver medal in the featherweight class and bantamweight Ferdie Gamo the bronze to round out the stint of a six-man team sent here by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines with support from the Philippine Sports Commission, Revicon and Pacific Heights.
Ladon, 22, lost to Finland’s reigning national champion Jussi Koivula, 16-31.
"Pinaghandaan ko ho talaga iyong Bulgarian," said Payla after adding another gold to his growing collection that included conquests in Greece, Azerbaijan, Cuba and in this event last year where he beat out compatriot Harry Tanamor in the finals.
This one, though, is more fulfilling, considering he had to go through tough fighters from Ireland and Estonia in the early rounds and a blonde-haired Bulgarian who won a bronze in the 2001 world championships in Ireland and gold in the last European championships.
The formidable opposition, though, only brought the best out of Payla.
The diminutive Armyman established control from the opening bell, although that was not reflected in the scorecards, which had Vladimirov inexplicably on top, 10-8, after one round and by two after the second.
But Payla finally got the judges’ attention late in the second round when he caught Vladimirov flush in the jaw with a jarring left straight that had the Bulgarian reeling into the ropes and the Swedish referee stepping in for an eight count.
"Pareho kaming nagpakawala ng malakas," said Payla later. "Yung suntok n’ya nasalo ko sa gloves, yung sa akin sinalo n’ya sa panga n’ya."
From there, it was all Payla.
Carefully picking his spots, the Filipino scored from the inside and from long range while steering clear of Vladimirov’s killer right, leaving the Bulgarian lunging on air for much of the last two rounds.
By the time the fourth round came along, the Bulgarian corner had grown frantic egging their fighter to go all out. Payla however would not give the desperate Bulgarian the opening to score – and the judges the opportunity to work up a last-ditch magic.
"Hinog na hinog na talaga si Payla," said coaches George Caliwan and Boy Velasco. "Tamang tama naman dahil papalapit na ang Southeast Asian Games at ang mga Olympic qualifying tournaments."