Tipon leads RP quest in King's Cup

MANILA, Philippines - Asian Games gold medalist Joan Tipon tries to atone for his so-so campaigns in the past as he leads a six-man Philippine team competing in the 31st staging of the King’s Cup set April 3-5 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The top-caliber tournament features some of the best amateur boxers in the world, with the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines pinning its hopes this year on bantamweight Tipon (54 kg.), featherweight Charly Suarez (57 kg.), lightweight Joegen Ladon (60 kg.), and light welterweight Genebert Basadre (64 kg.).

Light flyweight Gerson Nietes (54 kg.) and flyweight Aston Francis Palicte (51 kg.), both 19-year-old fighters, provide the fire of the youth for the team.

Tipon bagged the gold medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, nipping Thailand’s foremost bantamweight to emerge as one of the country’s top prospects in the Beijing Olympics. But he has struggled since, failing to get a berth in the quadrennial event.

Nietes, a nephew of world titleholder Donnie Nietes, along with Palicte and Suarez is a World Championship veteran.

Ladon salvaged the gold medal in the China Asian Boxing Championship, and Basadre reached the semifinals of the Doha Games.

Joining them are coaches Ronald Chavez and Cuban Dagoberto Rojas Scott and international referee-judge Dante de Castro and Jesus San Esteban.

“We decided to field a young but talented team because this is part of our thrust to develop our future stars and we’re going to get our feet wet and make it back to shore wiser and sturdier,” said ABAP executive director Ed Picson. – Joey Villar