Another Chavez an Olympian in making

MANILA, Philippines — Ronald Chavez Jr. wasn’t even born yet when his father and boxing mentor Ronald Sr. and uncle Arlo made it to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

That’s why the 24-year-old son and nephew of the former Asian Championship and Southeast Asian Games gold medalists knows how heavy the weight he will carry in order to make it to the same destination his elders reached – the Olympics.

And he’s getting there.

Showing the same trademark grit and ferocity of the Chavezes, Chavez Jr. took the first of the many necessary steps towards making the Paris Games in July as he edged Cape Verde’s Bruno de Fernandes de Barros in the World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy last Tuesday.

He survived the opening round by the skin of his teeth as he battled and scored a 3-2 split decision that set him up against Jordan’s Zeyad Eashash, who trounced Tajikistan’s Shokhobzhon Shukurov, 4-1, in the round-of-32.

The young Chavez will need to hurdle Eashash and two more rivals to make it to the semifinals where he will automatically book a ticket to the Paris-bound bus and continue the family tradition.

More impressive was 19-year-old Mark Ashley Fajardo, an Asian Games veteran who hammered out a sensational third-round knockout win over Portuguese Albertino Monteiro in the men’s 63.5kg division to likewise stay in the Olympic hunt.

Like Chavez Jr., Fajardo needs to win three more bouts including one against Colombian Jose Manuel Viafara Fory, a 3-2 winner over Italian Gianluigi Malanga, in the round-of-32, to earn a spot to the quadrennial summer sports spectacle.

The pair  joined Tokyo silver winner Nesthy Petecio and Olympian Rogen Ladon to the next round.

And expect more in the coming days as John Marvin (92kg), Aira Villegas (women’s 50kg), Claudine Veloso (women’s 54kg) and Hergie Bacyadan (women’s 75kg) have yet to wade into battle.

The country is eyeing more Olympic qualifiers like early entrants pug  Eumir Marcial, pole vaulter EJ Obiena and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan.