ILOILO CITY -- DAVAO DEL NORTE CAPTURED eight gold medals yesterday to win the youth title for the fifth consecutive year in the 2008 PLDT-Smart National Youth, Women’s and Senior Boxing Championships at the Robinson’s Mall here.

The Davao pugs’ 8-gold, 5-silver, 4-bronze harvest was better than their output last year in Cagayan de Oro City, where they claimed six golds in the youth division alone.

“We achieved our target,” Davao del Norte coach Ramon Vicente said. “The level of competition is improving with teams like Bago and Bacolod getting stronger. It’s a good thing our boys are also improving”.

Bago City came out of nowhere to finish second overall with a 2-5-6 haul, while Bacolod City registered a 2-1-3 output, followed by Aba Digos (2-1-2), North Cotabato (2-1-1) and Palawan (1-2-2).

Van Jun Saludar, the youngest of the four Saludar siblings seeing action here, seized the light cottonweight title over Bago City’s Lemwil Javines to set the tone for Davao del Norte’s romp.

Also boosting Davao’s campaign were Palarong Pambansa champions Mark Anthony Barriga and Jerwin Ancajas, who ruled the school boys’ mosquitoweight and cadet flyweight categories, respectively.

Barriga posted an easy win over Leome John Ovalo of North Cotabato, in contrast with Ancajas’ Referee-Stopped-Contest outscored verdict over Bacolod bet Genesis Servania that drew a howl of protest from the crowd.