Zambaleño stops foe in boxing elims

IBA, Zambales, Philippines – Lloyd Trinidad of Zambales provided the perfect ending to the PLDT-ABAP National Capital Region/Luzon boxing tournament at the Capitol grounds here Friday evening.

With the hometown crowd behind him in the night’s final bout, Trinidad scored a sensational stoppage of Kabaka’s Alkhuzeem Abdul Aziz in the 1:26 mark of the opening round.

The 18-year-old Trinidad caught his taller opponent with a right cross to the chin, sending the high school student from Mapua down on the floor and flat on his back.

Aziz, of Saudi Arabian decent, beat the count but the referee stopped the contest (due to head blow).

“Na-tiyempo lang po (I just caught him),” said Trinidad who, however, added that it’s not the first time he scored a knockout similar to this one.

“I’ve done it around seven to eight times,” he said with the gold medal in the youth boys’ lightweight class hanging from his neck. He is no one-hit wonder.

Trinidad advanced to the National Finals in Maasin in Southern Leyte on Feb. 17 to 23. He will join his fellow winners here, and those from the Visayas (Bago City) and Mindanao (General Santos City) legs.

“We now look forward to the National Finals and hope to identify new talents for inclusion to the national team,” said Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines executive director Ed Picson.

Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. thanked the ABAP headed by Ricky Vargas for the chance to host the event.

“We see it as a sign that our province is being recognized for its efforts in promoting boxing as a sport. Our stable is relatively new, yet our boxers are already showing great potential,” said Ebdane.

Jess Ganyan of Iba won the youth boys’ flyweight gold with a 9-6 win over Jayson Foster of Sorsogon while Melvin Jakaran of Zambales edged Jovan Krist Solmoro of Rizal Technological U, 8-7, in the youth boys’ bantam finals.

Fernel Gaspi of Sorsogon bagged the first gold medal of the night when he outpointed Aldrin Signar of Tayabas, 12-7, in their junior boys’ pinweight encounter.

The 15-year-old Gaspi is the nephew of Pat Gaspi, a silver medalist in the 1989 Southeast Asian Games and member of the Philippine team coaching staff, and had 2006 Asian Games gold medalist Joan Tipon in his corner.

Porferio Aus Jr. of RTU looked promising in his 9-6 win over Aldrin Tatunay of La Union in the junior boys’ light-flyweight class while Jessie Diaz of Tayabas was the clear winner over Lawrence Ordonio of San Fernando City, 14-5, for the junior boys’ flyweight class.

Two other boxers from RTU clinched the gold with Stephen Bontoyan ruling the junior boys’ light-bantam class and Mark Alex Brin in the youth boys’ pinweight. Ryan Torres of SFC bagged the youth boys’ light-fly gold with a 15-3 win over Sorsogon’s Charlie Foster.

Bontoyan came out exhausted but a 15-12 winner over Jeric Ferrer of Tayabas while Brin, nephew of Olympian Romeo,  was more convincing in his 17-10 win over Richard Agora of Tayabas.

Brin is the nephew of Romeo Brin, the only Filipino boxer to compete in three Olympics (1996 in Atlanta, 2000 in Sydney and 2004 in Athens).