MARIBOJOC, Bohol—General Santos City swept its first four bouts Monday to boost its drive in the 2012 PLDT-Abap National Amateur Boxing Championships at the municipal gym here.
The victorious GenSan bets in the second round of the roving event were Regel Lou Alde (junior boys’ pinweight), Jake Bornea (junior boys’ light flyweight), Jade Bornea (junior boys’ flyweight), and Alexcel Dar Gantes (junior girls’ pinweight).
Alde thwarted Jayson Becong of Maasin City, 13-7; Jake mastered Bago’s Andrian Tambanillo, 22-14; Jade subdued Jude Ryan Daag, 15-9, of Team Buddy Andrada; and Gantes exploited her reach advantage to repulse Bago’s Marianne de Luna, 18-11, in the first of two girls’ matches for the day.
Misamis Oriental also made a strong showing on wins by Samboy Lao (junior boys’ light flyweight) and Klemen Earl Cabahit (junior boys’ flyweight).
Lao turned back Davao Del Norte’s Michael Jhon Bahena, 12-10, while Cabahit conquered Kenneth Paul Gentallan, 19-11, before a big crowd in this coastal town 14 kilometers away from Tagbilaran City.
Other early winners in the 42 bouts on tap were Aglawan’s Robert Paradero (junior boys’ pinweight), Cebu’s Junrel Jimenez (junior boys’ pinweight), Negros’ Feleciano Santiago (junior boys’ light flyweight), Mandaue’s Bryan Remedio (junior boys’ light flyweight), Davao del Norte’s Charnie Jun Magsayo (junior boys’ flyweight) and Bago’s Raymart Flores (youth boys’ pinweight).
In the Philippines-Sri Lanka dual meet that preceded the heavy 42-bout schedule, light fly Alice Kate Aparri and featherweight Nesty Petecio prevailed over Kosala Nilmini (16-7) and Sithari Sadareka (17-5), respectively, to secure a 6-2 victory for the Filipinos.
The Sri Lankans’ forged a 2-2 tie yesterday through featherweights Shiromali Weerarathna, who bested former muay artist Ricalene Aquino, 13-10, and Nilmini Jayasinghe, who subdued Janice Vallares, 19-7.
On Sunday, the Filipinos, who are honing up for the Asian Women’s Championships slated in Mongolia late this month, swept the Sri Lankans, 4-0, who are returning home today.
Josie Gabuco beat compatriot Irish Magno, 18-9, in another special bout of the four-day event organized by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines and supported by PLDT.
Among those who watched the bouts were Abap president Ricky Vargas, secretary general Patrick Gregorio, executive director Ed Picson, PSC commissioner Akiko Thomson, Maribojoc Mayor Leoncio Evancio Jr. and Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri Lim.
The last two days of the annual event will be held in Tagbilaran City.
Sunday’s opening matches held in Carmen town of the famed Chocolate Hills, saw Mandaue’s Kevin Jake Cataraja stop General Santos’ Vergel Deguma in the second round of their boys’ flyweight tussle. It was the lone knockout posted out of 22 inaugural matches.
Bryan Remedio (junior boys’ light fly) and Dannlou Codilla (elite fly) were the other winners for Mandaue, which matched the three victories of Davao Del Norte and Cebu bets.
OTHER WINNERS: Cebu—Junrel Jimenez (jr boys’ pinweight), Steven Noblefranca (youth boys’ fly), Alan Refuela (elite fly); Panabo City, Davao del Norte—Rabicycle Gabriel (junior boys’ pinweight), Joey Canoy (elite light fly); Jolan Bunghanoy (elite fly); Via RSC (referee stopped contest)—Igacos’ Siero Illut (jr boys’ light fly), Misamis Oriental’s jaybie Haya (youth boys’ fly), Tayabas’ Rommel Ibasco, all in the third round; Cabadbaran’s Jilnar Libranza (jr boys’ pinweight), Bago’s Gilbert Ermeo (jr boys’ pinweight), Adlayan’s Joey Tejones (jr boys’ light flyw)