Canlubang slugfest to feature 8 national boxers

MANILA, Philippines - Eight members of the national boxing pool, headed by Doha Asian Games gold medalist Joan Tipon and Guangzhou Asiad bronze medal winner Victorio Saludar III, will be featured in four highly competitive bouts that will highlight the Balik-Canlubang boxing card on July 2 at the Ceris I basketball court in Canlubang, Laguna.

Tipon, who made an impressive comeback by winning the silver in the Sydney Jackson Memorial tilt in Uzbekistan early this year, leads the star-studded cast that includes Mark Anthony Barriga, gold medalist in Uzbekistan slugfest and quarterfinalist in the World Youth Championship, Ricky Dulay, a promising boxer from Samar who bagged the bronze medal in last year’s MVP tournament, veteran Rolando Tacuyan, and Dennis Galvan Diaz, a former national youth gold medal winner.

Two female sluggers who are also members of the national pool – Janice Vallares and Ricalene Aquino – will also face off in the card that serves as the second sporting event of the Balik Canlubang homecoming project on Jan. 6-7, 2012.

All bouts are expected to be action-packed since these fights serve as part of the elimination series being held by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Phils. (ABAP) for the September World Championship in Azerbaijan and the November SEA Games in Indonesia.

“This is part of the ABAP program to provide exposures to our national boxers in our campaign to put in as many qualifiers for the London Olympics next year,” said ABAP executive director Ed Picson.

Barriga will fight Saludar, Tipon will square off with Dulay and Tacuyan will clash with Diaz.

The event, to be handled by national coaches Boy Velasco and Pat Gaspi together with Balik-Canlubang committee head Ely Baradas, is sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Atlanta Olympic Games silver medalist Onyok Velasco has been invited to grace the occasion.

At the same time, 10 bouts featuring young local talents under two age-group divisions will serve as preliminary fights for the main card, according to Canlubang coordinators Cesar Pradas, Louie Mijares, Dindo Rivera and Mel Delos Santos.

Fights will start at 2 p.m. Interested youth fighters may contact Rivera at 0921-7720457.

The Balik-Canlubang is a project of the Canlubang residents to bring back all bonafide “Batang Canlubang” from all over the world to a grand reunion next year.