FILE PHOTO – Rogen Ladon.
Rogen Ladon bid in the 17th AIBA World Championship came to a sudden halt as he suffered a stunning split decision defeat to Zhomart Yerzhan of Kazakhstan at the Sporthalle in Hamburg, Germany.
Seeded fifth in the light flyweight tourney and already getting a bye in the round-of-16, Ladon had a tough time dispatching his Kazakh foe as he was matched with a feisty challenger from the start.
The referee called Yerzhan’s attention numerous times in the match for clinching and using his arms to ward off the 2015 bronze medalist, but despite the warnings, the bout went on, with Yerzhan possibly earning points solely for his grit.
Not helping Ladon’s case was him failing to land his power punches, which could have helped his case when the match went to the scorecards.
With Ladon bowing out early, the Philippines’ hopes are left on the shoulders of Dannel Maamo in the flyweight division.
However, his path to the championship is expected to be a rocky one as he braces for top-seed Yosvany Veitia of Cuba.