Filipino boxer Rogen Ladon qualifies for Rio Olympics

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino light flyweight boxer Rogen Ladon has qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

The 22-year-old from Bago City, Negros Occidental, Philippines became the first Filipino boxer to qualify for the Summer Games by defeating India’s Devendro Singh Laishram by a 30-27 decision on all 3 judges’ scorecards in the 108-pound semifinals at the Asian-Oceanian Olympic Qualifiers on Thursday, March 31 at the Tangshan Sports Centre in Qian’An, China.

“Ladon wanted to prove that he’s worthy of being the number one seed,” Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines executive director Ed Picson tells Rappler in an email. “He bucked the one-upmanship of the Indian and stayed with the fight plan which was to try and hit the straight first.”

The top 3 boxers in each male weight class will qualify for an Olympic berth.

Ladon, a silver medalist in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, will meet Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan in the gold medal match. The 22-year-old Dusmatov, a veteran of the AIBA World Series of Boxing, defeated Mongolia’s Gan-Erdene Gankhuyag by shutout scores on all 3 cards to enter the finals.

Dusmatov defeated Ladon in the finals of the 2015 ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships by decision.

Ladon’s teammate Mario Fernandez wasn’t so lucky. 

Fernandez, a 2014 Asian Games bronze medalist and 2015 SEA Games gold medalist, lost a unanimous decision to Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee in the bantamweight semifinals by scores of 30-27 on all 3 cards. Fernandez of Valencia City, Bukidnon, Philippines can still qualify if he defeats Kairat Yeraliyev of Kazakhstan in the bronze medal match on Friday.

The 25-year-old Yeraliyev last faced Fernandez last year, winning a decision in the first round of the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships.

Lightweight Charly Suarez and welterweight Eumir Marcial will also fight in qualifying matches tonight beginning at 6:45 pm Manila time. – Rappler.com