ALMATY, Kazakhstan—Flyweight Roldan Boncales justified his inclusion to the national team by trouncing Beijing Olympian Eddie Barillas of Guatemala in the opener of the AIBA World Elite Men’s Championships at Baluan Sholak Palace of Sports.
The 20-year-old Boncales, who came in as a substitute for the injured Asian Games gold medalist Rey Saludar, used quick in-and-out moves to frustrate his foe, who was 10 years older, and put the 4-man PLDT-Abap team in motion.
“He’s a cunning and strong puncher, but I just played my game,” said the tricycle driver’s son from General Santos City of the Guatemalan.
Boncales earned the nod of the judges from Ukraine, Hungary and Finland with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.
In his first international stint last January, Boncales won the gold medal in the Kuala Lumpur City Day Cup where he was also adjudged the tournament’s “Boxer with Most Potential.”
Boncales’ next opponent is North Korea’s Ri Chung-Il, who won the gold medal in the recent Korotkov Memorial Tournament in Khabarovsk, Russia.
Seeing action Tuesday is light welterweight Dennis Galvan, who will fight Gaybatullah Gadzhialiyev of Azerbaijan.