PHILIPPINE AMATEUR BOXERS DOMINATE GUAM IN GOODWILL MEET
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 19 Jan 2009
The six-man Philippine amateur boxing team sponsored by Smart-PLDT scored a dominating 5-1 victory in a goodwill meet against Guam staged at the Dedo Sports Complex in Hagatna, Guam on Saturday.
Light welterweights John Rey Melligen and Jameboy Vicera were outstanding in the contest which was the Filipinos dominate in five of the six bouts with Melligen the most impressive , scoring a second round Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) win over Shaun Santos, while Vicera staggered and bloodied the stocky and aggressive Jashua Herrera on the way to a unanimous decision win in two of the featured light-welterweight fights.
?Iginanti ko lang po si Tacuyan. Sa loob-loob ko, kailangan knockout talaga para convincing ang panalo,? said the shy, soft spoken 18-year old Melligen, brother of pro boxer and former national team member Mark Jason Meliggen.
In a surprise reversal lightweight Tacuyan?s split decision win was overturned after the 17 year old from Angeles City had gone to the dressing room was asked to climb the ring again only to hear the announcement that he had lost his bout.
The decision which was reversed came as a surprise since Tacuyan controlled the fight most of the way despite hurting his right hand early in the opening round. ?Panalo na, natalo pa,? said the son of former RP boxing team stalwart Orlando Tacuyan Sr. The young Tacuyan was later brought to the hospital where x-ray showed a mild crack in his right hand.
Aside from what was regarded as a minor setback the nationals didn?t have any trouble. Bantamweight Aston Francis Palicte used his jab effectively to outbox Roel Ubaldo while Adones Cabalquinto Lauronal hammered out an impressive victory over Kyle Reyes in an action-packed welterweight battle.
Newcomer Nesthy Petecio fought like a grizzled veteran, wowing the big paying crowd with her fancy footwork and constant showboating in a striking win over basketball player turned boxer Gianna Sarusal in the lone female match-up in the featherweight division.
?It?s really encouraging. We just got started and already, Harry Tanamor won the World Cup Championship, Annie Albania bagged the silver in the World Women?s Championship and now, the triumphant campaign in Guam,? ABAP executive-secretary Patrick Gregorio said in his text message to coaches Nolito `Boy? Velasco and three-time Olympian Romeo Brin from Bacolod City where the National Boxing Open Championships is currently being held.
Melligen started off aggressively when he staggered his Guamenian opponent with a right straight and then caught him with a barrage of punches but couldn?t end it in the opening round.
Vicera, younger brother of current RP team coach Isidro, engaged the bigger and muscular American in a phone booth warfare and came out the better fighter in their match. A straight right by the young national stalwart in the third round bloodied the nose of Herrera, before a wicked hook opened a cut just under the left eye of the Guamenian a moment later.
As the 10-man boxing team heads home today, Guam Amateur Boxing Federation (GABF) Cano Collazo-Cruz, the man responsible for the Goodwill tournament he put up in cooperation with Guam Governor Felix Perez Camacho and Lt. Gov. Michael Cruz, is hoping a similar meet will be staged in Manila sometime this year.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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