Davao del Norte, MisOr dominate Minda slugfest

PANABO CITY, Philippines – Davao del Norte and Misamis Oriental sealed a virtual showdown in the PLDT-ABAP Mindanao boxing tournament with the hosts sending 11 fighters in the finals and the latter winning eight semifinal bouts at the A.R. Floirendo covered court here yesterday.

Rabicyle Gabriel beat MisOr’s Isagani Llaban, 32-19, in the 46 kg. junior boys division, 32-19, while Rolen Alvan Magarce scored an RSC victory over Gingoog’s Jorson Rapista in the 60 kg. lightweight category, 21 seconds into the fight, to lead the Davao charge.

MisOr got a lift from the victories of Julito Sumalinog over GenSan’s Jergel Deguma, 22-4, in the 53 kg. light bantamweight division, and Jerson Ladrada over Davao del Norte’s Jobel Araneta, 19-8, in the 54 kg. bantamweight category.

GenSan’s Jake Bornea, meanwhile, stunned fancied Samboy Lao, 15-12, in the 48 kg. light flyweight class.

General Santos sent four bets to the gold medal round, Surigao-South Cotabato has three, Gingoog City and Sarangani two apiece, and Camiguin, Kidapawan, Calinan in Davao City, Manolo Fortich and Aglayan in Bukidnon, and Compostela Valley one each.

The gold medal is worth P1,000, the silver P700, and the bronze P500.

Overseeing the matches were 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games gold medalist and 1996 Atlanta Olympian Elias Recaido Jr. and SEA Games champion and 1992 Barcelona Olympics veteran Ronald Chavez, now both national coaches.

Ricky Vargas, Maynilad Water and ABAP president, and Patrick Gregorio, ABAP secretary-general, will award the medals, along with ABAP executive director Ed Picson.

The four-division tournament – kiddies (11 and 12), school boys (13 and 14), junior boys (15 and 16), and youth (17 and 18) – is a major component of ABAP’s talent search program and coincides with the staging of the 2nd FABC Vicente Floirendo Amateur Boxing Championship.