"In high school, they would always tease me that I’m gay because of my name. So I would sometimes pick up a fight with them to prove that I’m not," said Tipon, whose first name was picked from his grandparents Jose and Annaliza, in Filipino. "Since then I got interested in boxing."
Barcelona bronze medalist Roel Velasco got interested in him when he saw the then 18-year-old scraggy Talisay City native, who has earlier trained under Nestor Aguirre in Bacolod, plying his trade in the National Open in Bicol in 2000.
"Bob (Roel) saw him in the National Open and knew he had the potential to be a good fighter. He would go to our training in Manila so we decided to take him in the pool,"said Nolito "Boy" Velasco, elder brother of Roel and Atlanta Olympic silver medalist Mansueto and one of the coaches of the national boxing team.
From one of the boys to the man of the hour. That’s how Tipon transformed in such a short time, punching his way to fame and fortune when he beat Korean champion Han Soon Chul and captured the gold medal in the bantamweight division in the Asian Games here Wednesday.
Mobbed by Filipino workers at a bash hosted by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, Tipon could only shake his head in disbelief for the accolade given him and the other members of the seven-man team, including fellow champion flyweight Violito Payla.