MANILA — Olympic silver medalist Nesthy Petecio secured her place in the quarterfinals of the 1st World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers in Busto Arsizio, Italy, on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

In the Round of 16 of the women’s 57-kilogram (kg) division, Petecio clinched victory over Nancy Canan Tas of Germany with a unanimous decision (5-0).

Petecio is set to face Maud van der Toorn of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, who triumphed over Jenifer Fernande of Spain (5-0).

She must advance to the finals of the tournament to secure her qualification for the Paris Olympics.

In the men’s 57-kg division, Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam emerged victorious against Mexico’s Andrey Bonilla in the Round of 32 with a split decision (3-1).

Paalam took to his Facebook and Instagram stories to express his disappointment in his Mexican opponent’s boxing skills, criticizing Bonilla for lacking proficiency.

He is slated to go against Turkmenistan’s Shukur Ovezov in the Round of 16 on Sunday (Monday in Manila).

In the women’s 50-kg Round of 32, Aira Villegas triumphed over Canada’s McKenzie Wright with a split decision (3-2), keeping her hopes alive for the Paris Olympics.

Villegas will progress to the Round of 16 and will face off against Sofie Rosshaug of Denmark on Sunday.

These three boxers, along with Asian Games silver medalist Rogen Ladon, remain the Philippines’ contenders in the Olympic qualifiers in Italy.

Currently, the Philippines has one qualified boxer for the Paris Olympics—Eumir Felix Marcial, who secured his spot following a silver-medal finish at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, last year.

Ladon, Villegas, and Paalam only need to reach the tournament’s semifinals to secure their places in the Paris Games.

(By El Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — Four Filipino boxers have progressed to the subsequent round in the Olympic qualifiers, showcasing their prowess on the global stage.

 The tournament, commencing on March 3 in Busto Arsizio, Italy, witnessed remarkable victories from renowned athletes.

Olympic silver medalist Nesthy Petecio exhibited her dominance by securing a decisive win against Serbia’s Andela Brankovic in the 57-kilogram division, while Rogen Ladon, an Asian Games medalist, triumphed over Italian Federico Emilio Serra through a split decision in the 51 kg category.

In a display of remarkable skill and determination, Mark Ashley Fajardo and Ronald Chavez, Jr. emerged victorious in their debut matches. Fajardo delivered a stunning knockout blow to Albertino Monteiro of Portugal, while Chavez claimed victory over Bruno de Barros Fernandez of Cape Verde through a split decision.

Anticipation mounts as they gear up for their next preliminary matches, aiming to solidify their positions on the Olympic stage.

Alongside Petecio, fellow Olympic medalist Carlo Paalam is actively participating in the qualifiers, eyeing a spot in the upcoming Olympics slated to be held in Paris, France in July this year.

Eumir Marcial stands as the sole Filipino boxer to have already secured a spot in the Games, courtesy of his outstanding silver medal performance at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last year.

(el Amigo/MNM)

HANGZHOU – Eumir Marcial came through with a dominant showing in his light-heavyweight debut, but Irish Magno bowed out of contention as the two Olympians suffered contrasting fates at the start of the boxing competitions in the 19th Asian Games.

Marcial, 27, scored an overwhelming 5-0 victory over Dalai Gadzorig of Mongolia at the Hangzhou gymnasium to advance in the Round-of-16 of the men’s 80 kg class.

The Filipino pro boxer went up in weight from being a middleweight, where he won a bronze medal in last year’s Tokyo Olympics.

While he felt good in his first bout, Marcial has yet to fully determine if he’s really fit to fight as a light-heavyweight.

“Ok naman yung galaw ko, pero yung fighting weight ko talaga middleweight. Mas komportable talaga ako dun,” said Marcial, who was cheered on by Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Bambol Tolentino, San Miguel Corp. sports director Alfrancis Chua, PBA chairman Ricky Vargas, and PBA commissioner Willie Marcial.

“Hindi pa natin alam. Yung mga susunod na laban natin, pabigat na ng pabigat yung mga kalaban,” added the native of Zamboanga City.

Earlier, the 32-year-old Magno was outclassed by her younger foe in Nigina Uktamova of Uzbekistan, 5-0, in the women’s 54 kg class.

“Pinag-handaan talaga namin kung ano yung fight plan, pero hindi tayo pinalad,” said the Tokyo Olympian of Uktamova, a former gold medal winner in the World Youth Boxing Championship, who clinched a berth in the quarterfinals.

The loss of Magno and Aira Villegas left Olympic silver medalist Nesthy Petecio to carry the fight for the women’s boxing team. The former world champion is set to see action on Sept. 29 against top seed Lin Yu Ting of Chinese-Taipei in the 57 kg class. (ai/mnm)

Image Courtesy of One Sports

HANGZHOU – Mark Ashley Fajardo made a smashing debut in the 19th Asian Games after scoring a first round knockout of Bhutan’s Dorji Wangdi at the start of boxing competitions Sunday at Hangzhou gymnasium.

The young native of Cebu made it easy and quick by setting up Wangdi with a straight right, and then delivering a left to the jaw that dropped his foe to the canvas.

The Bhutan fighter tried to beat the mandatory eight count, but stood on wobbly legs, prompting the referee to stop the bout at the 2:21 mark

It was an unexpected end to the light-welterweight bout which was only Fajardo’s second international exposure.

“Nagulat ako. Hindi ko inasahan na ganun ang mangyayari,” said the soft-spoken boxer.

The impressive win somehow made up for the loss of Aira Villegas earlier in the women’s 50 kg class.

The 28-year-old Filipina lost by points to Mongolia’s Yesugen Oyuntsetseg, 3-1, to bow out of the tournament.

Olympians Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno hope to ride the momentum of Fajardo’s inspiring win as they also see action later in the night.

Magno is slated to face Nigina Uktamova of Uzbekistan in the women’s 54 kg class, while Marcial, bronze medalist in the Tokyo Olympics, takes on Mongolia’s Dalai Ganzorig in the day’s last match in the 80 kg class. (ai/mnm)

MANILA – Unbeaten Carl Jammes Martin is optimistic about his return to the ring on Aug. 19 against Oscar Duge of Tanzania in a 10-round bantamweight fight at the Mandaluyong Sports Complex.

The boxer from Lagawe, Ifugao province has fully recovered from a rib injury that sidelined him for eight months.

“Napaka-importante po ng next fight ko (My next fight is very important),” the 24-year-old Martin said during the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission conference hall inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Tuesday.

The young southpaw, who fought 56 times as an amateur, has an unblemished professional record of 21-0 with 17 knockouts with 10 of them inside three rounds.

“Pinag-sisikapan po namin sa training. Pinag-iingatan din namin ang kalaban. Pinag-aaralan namin pati ang mga adjustments na pwede gawin sa ring (We are training hard. We are also careful with our enemy. We study the adjustments we can make in the ring),” Martin said.

He was accompanied by his father, Abel, and brother, Japeth — both his trainers — in the weekly session presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, MILO, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

Counting on the support of former world champion Gerry Peñalosa and Sean Gibbons of the MP Promotions, Martin said if things go as planned, Gibbons might bring him to the US for further training.

Standing at 5-foot-3, Duge is three inches shorter than Martin. The 26-year-old Tazmanian Duge has an 11-5-2 record, his last defeat was in August 2000. He has never been knocked out.

“Wala pang KO ang kalaban. Yun ang target — kami ang unang maka-knockout sa kanya. Pero handa din naman kami sa mahabang fight (The opponent doesn’t have a KO yet. That’s the target — we are the first to knock him out. But we are also ready for a long fight),” said Japeth, also a boxer.

“Ready na po kami. Pero hindi po namin masasabi. Kung ma-knockout yung kalaban, mas maganda po talaga (We are ready. But we can’t say. If we knock out the opponent, it’s even better),” added Abel. (PNA)