ILOILO CITY—Asian Games gold medalist Joan Tipon began his road back to redemption with a second-round stoppage of Northern Samar’s Allen Manaog Wednesday night in the seniors’ featherweight division of the 2008 PLDT-Smart National Open, Youth and Women’s Amateur Boxing Championships at Robinson’s Place here.
Failing to live up to expectations in three Olympic qualifying tournaments, Tipon—although admitting he was far from his best— easily scored a RSC-Compulsory Count Limit verdict over Manaog, who was given two standing eight counts each in the first and second rounds.
“I want to prove that I am still capable of competing in a high level,” Tipon, who is seeing action for the Philippine Army, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in Filipino.
“The past six months have been very tough. There was too much pressure on me to win. Still, I haven’t given up on my dream of making the Olympics.”
Expected to stand in Tipon’s way here is reigning champion Joegin Ladon of the Philippine Navy.
Ladon disposed Arlon Paderijal of Antique via an RSC-OC decision in the 1:32 mark of the first round, then welcomed the challenge of Tipon and Southeast Asian Games silver medalist Junel Cantancio, who are all gunning to dethrone him.
“This is my division, so I’m ready for them,” said the 27-year-old Ladon of Bago City, who will take on his fellow Bagoeño, Cantancio, in the quarterfinals.
Tipon’s teammates Delfin Boholst and Bill Vicera also handily beat their foes in the welterweight and pinweight classes, respectively.
Boholst, from Misamis Oriental, overwhelmed Sherwin Juarez of PAF-B for an RSC-Outclassed victory in the third round, after the defending champion Vicera stopped Malongon-A bet Micheal Salila.
Iloilo bet and wushu sanshou specialist Leonardo Delarmino also made a good account of himself by defeating Navyman Roberrt Delsario with an RSC-Outscored decision in the light welterweight category.
Meanwhile, Davao del Norte and Bago City seemed poise for a final-day duel in the youth division as the Davaoeños sent five more boxers to the medal round. Bago also hiked their number of semifinalists to seven.
