RP fighters haul in three golds, one silver

HO CHI MINH CITY — Egged on by their wildly-cheering, flag-waving countrymen, the members of RP Team Revicon gave it their best Sunday evening and were amply rewarded with three gold medals and a shining silver at the close of the Pre-SEA Games Boxing Championships at the Phan Dinh Phung Stadium here.

Pinweight Juanito Magliquian of the Philippine Navy did not disappoint the Pinoys based here by beating perennial rival Kaew Pongprayoon of Thailand, 12-8. Also winning the gold were bantam Joan Tipon who overshadowed Chinese Olympian Deng Xue Long, 14-10, and Maximo Tabangcora III of the Philippine Army who stopped Pham Ngoc Hue of Vietnam inside three rounds.

Flyweight Glenn Gonzales, in his first international tournament, gladly accepted the silver after a controversial 26-25 loss to Vietnam’s Nguyen Kien Cuong. The decision did not sit well with the Filipino fans numbering more than a hundred as they booed and jeered the local winner until the awarding ceremonies. Members of the RP squad, however, took it in stride.

Gonzales was the aggressor and knocked down the Vietnamese with a shaking left straight to the chin. Just trying to stay up on his feet, the Vietnamese did a lot of clinching in the final round and wrestled the Filipino to the canvas three times, but wasn’t even warned.

Magliquian survived a head-to-head, toe-to-toe battle against the same Thai who defeated him in the quarterfinals of the 2001 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. But after their third battle on the ring, Magliquian now enjoys the edge, 2-1. The protégé of Talisay, Negros Occidental Mayor Anthony Lizares then declared his readiness for the Vietnam SEA Games this December.

Tipon was the clear winner of his bout against the barrel-chested Chinese as he fought like a well-oiled machine, dancing from left to right, shuffling his feet and connecting with both hands. He will definitely be a force to reckon with in the very near future.

Tabangcora sized up his opponent in the first round and didn’t stop once he got the range. He scored at will with his left straights, leaving the Vietnamese bleeding from the nose after two rounds. The Russian coach of the local squad had wanted the fight stopped after the second round but his fighter insisted to carry on to no avail. There were only two entries in the middleweight class but organizers decided on the last minute to award the gold and silver.

Lightfly Godfrey Castro, also of the Philippine Army, settled for the bronze after a painful loss to Vietnam’s Le Van Tri in the semis while lightwelter Mark Jason Melligen, another rookie, failed to win any medal but easily gained the nod of the RP coaches, ex-Navyman Vicente Arsenal and Armyman Elmer Pamisa, after a well-fought but losing battle against Sydney Olympics veteran Pongsak Hriathuan of Thailand in the elims, 6-7.

Overall, the Filipinos won 10 of 13 matches in this southern Vietnamese city and, with three golds, a silver and a bronze, will fly back home Tuesday also carrying the first-runnerup trophy. Vietnam, represented by two teams, emerged overall champion with four gold, five silver and three bronze medals. Thailand won one gold, two silvers and three bronzes while China took a gold, a silver and three bronzes. Laos settled for three bronzes while a team from Ho Chi Minh City came in last with a bronze.

"We’re so proud of our boys, not only those who won medals but the others who fought so hard trying to win one. The performance of our team there speaks well of our grassroots development program under our Filipino coaches," said RP amateur boxing president Manny Lopez over the phone shortly after the finals.

"Our boys deserve all the credit. And at the same time, we take our hats off to the Filipinos who came out to support us in our battle. It’s not too often that we receive this kind of support from our countrymen abroad," said RP team manager Ruben Roque. The other member of the RP squad here is referee/judge Dante de Castro, a former member of the national karatedo team.

The RP trip, bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission, Pacific Heights, Accell and Family Rubbing Alcohol, is part of the selection process for the national team that will see action in the Vietnam SEAG and the 2004 Olympic qualifying tournament for Asia which is set in Palawan in January.

The Filipino boxers couldn’t have done it here without the support of the Filipino fans who, from the opening day of the five-nation event, came to the venue, buying tickets of their own and bringing with them RP flaglets as they cheered on their countrymen. They belong to the Samahang Pinoy Sa Vietnam which has a membership of close to 500.