Boxers from the Philippines won five gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games in Singapore on Wednesday.
Manny Pacquiao, the most famous fighter from that country, would have been proud had he been there to see Eumir Marcial knock out Singapore?s Tay Jia Wei in the second round to win the men’s welterweight division.
The 19-year-old modestly credited a “lucky punch” after winning the gold medal.
The team’s impressive performance would have brought the smiles back to the faces of boxing fans in the Philippines after Pacquiao’s defeat in his welterweight showdown with Floyd Mayweather last month.
Former world champion Josie Gabuco won her fourth consecutive SEA Games gold medal in the light-flyweight class and Mario Fernandez took the men’s bantamweight title.
Ian Bautista and Junel Cantancio won the flyweight and lightweight gold medals and the Philippines surged to a total of ten boxing medals ? five gold, three silver and two bronze.
Gabuco, a world champion in 2012, maintained her winning run in the regional competition when she won by unanimous decision against Thailand?s Chuthamat Raksat.
“I?m very happy and I?m very grateful for this. Thanks to God for giving me another opportunity to get another gold medal at the SEA Games,? said the 28-year-old.
Marcial was fighting at his first SEA Games, but the 2011 world junior champion showed his class with a dazzling display rounded off by a vicious left hook with 48 seconds left in the second round.
“I think it was my lucky punch. I am so happy because this is my first SEA Games and I have a gold medal,” said Marcial, who is now setting his sights on next year?s Olympics.
“Hopefully, if I maintain my discipline and work hard, I can qualify. But it will be difficult because I need to go through many steps to qualify for the Olympics.”
Defending bantamweight champion Fernandez, 21, dominated Tanes Ongjunta before the referee stopped the bout 45 seconds into the third round after the Thai had gone down for the second time.
Vietnam had the second-best haul of gold medals, winning three through Nguyen Thi Yen in the women?s flyweight class, Le Thi Bang in the women?s bantamweight and Truong Dinh Hoang in the men?s middleweight division.
Thailand, who had seven gold medals at the 2013 SEA Games, won only two this time through Tassamalee Thongjan in the women?s featherweight and Wuttichai Masuk in the men?s light welterweight division.
Kornelis Langu gave Indonesia their only boxing gold with victory in the men?s light-flyweight class.
