Toni Leviste wins Grand Prix; Pacquiao rematch talks on
By Recah Trinidad
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 05 Aug 2017
EQUESTRIENNE Toni Leviste of the Philippines won the 2-star Grand Prix of Samorin at the X-Bionic Sphere in Slovakia on Sunday.
The golden feat was not carried by mainstream media here. But the Manila Standard used it as its sports page headline yesterday.
?Leviste bested 60 of the world?s best riders and for the first time in the history of Philippine Equestrian sport, the Philippine National Anthem was played on European soil,? the report said.
Said Ms. Leviste from the competition site: ?I came here to do my final training before flying to Malaysia for the Southeast Asian Games. To win the Grand Prix feels like a dream. And to hear our national anthem played on foreign soil with our flag flying in this giant stadium literally brought me tears of joy.?
**
She added: ?Now I know why I continue to ride with passion after all these years. To ride and win for flag and country is the ultimate motivation.?
Leviste and Maximillian, her 17-year-old chestnut stallion, recently qualified for the World Equestrian Games during the Nation Cup competition in Falsterbo, Sweden.
The WEG will be held in Tryon, North Carolina next year.
**
WHEN Manny Pacquiao first asked that a rematch clause be inserted into his fight contract against Jeff Horn, many boxing fans took the move as a mere ploy to help sell the Battle of Brisbane.
There was a popular feel that the fight would be a tough sell outside of Australia, going by the disparity in the status, experience and ability of Pacquiao and Horn.
But In what would be described as the Upset of the Century, Horn dethroned Pacquiao in controversial fashion.
**
There was a worldwide outcry against questionable judging that led the World Boxing Organization to conduct a re-scoring (by independent judges) of the bout.
Horn was confirmed the winner after the re-scoring of the WBO welterweight championship held Last July 2.
Meanwhile, Team Pacquiao would later tarry on the rematch, thereby leading veteran promoter Bob Arum to issue a three-week ultimatum for Pacquiao to honor the rematch or disregard it.
**
Yesterday, Josef Ramos of the Manila Times said Arum has told him negotiation for the rematch has started.
?We are just looking for a suitable occasion, possibly when the Philippine Senate is in recess, to announce the date of the rematch,?Arum said.
Arum said the bout will still be staged in Australia, probably in Melbourne.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Recah Trinidad.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
UBO Youth World Title Showdown: Aliya Soomro Fights Monika Singh in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 05 Sep 2025Battle of the Hawk Season 1 Finals on September 9; offers P600,000 to the winning team while P300,000 to the losing finalist team
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 05 Sep 2025Press Conference Notes: Oscar Valdez Motivated for Saturday's Homecoming Against Ricky Medina
Fri, 05 Sep 2025SUNDERLAND PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES AS McCORMACK EYES BIG WIN
Fri, 05 Sep 2025THE ROAD TO REYES CUP AND MOSCONI CUP | 2025 PLAYERS QUALIFICATION
Fri, 05 Sep 2025Statement from World Boxing following reports in the French media about French female boxers at the World Boxing Championships
Fri, 05 Sep 2025GenSan Is Our Version of Los Mochis - The City of Boxing Champions
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Fri, 05 Sep 2025Iglesias vs. Shishkin: Unsigned Hype
By Chris Carlson, Fri, 05 Sep 2025EDDIE HEARN PROVIDES AJ UPDATE AS PAT McCORMACK NAMES THE BIG FIGHT HE WANTS NEXT IN NEW MATCHROOM BOXING PODCAST
Fri, 05 Sep 2025Team USA’s Path to Gold Set at 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool
Fri, 05 Sep 2025DACS signs up with Amesco Drug
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 05 Sep 2025India’s Monika Singh Battles Aliya Soomro of Pakistan for UBO Youth World 108 in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Thu, 04 Sep 2025TEENAGE KICKS: WONDERKIDS LEO ATANG, ADAM MACA AND TIAH-MAI AYTON ARE READY TO LIGHT UP SUNDERLAND THIS SATURDAY
Thu, 04 Sep 2025150 to join Rotary Heritage Aquathlon
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 04 Sep 2025Miguel Berchelt to Return in Reynosa, Tamaulipas; WBC Praises City’s Commitment
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Thu, 04 Sep 2025