President Arroyo on Sunday heaped praises on Filipino boxers for winning the top prize at the World Cup of Boxing at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California.
Mrs. Arroyo said she joins the nation in congratulating Filipino champs for their 5-1 victory over Mexico.
“We value our champions as symbols of Filipino excellence and persistence. They serve as role models for our youth while inspiring the rest of us to work hard for a more united and triumphant future,” she said.
Except for team captain Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista, all of the five other Filipinos lined up for the matches won against their Mexican counterparts.
The night’s biggest win came from 35-year-old former champ Gerry Pe?alosa who knocked the wind out of Jhonny Gonzales.
Pe?alosa (52-6-2, 35 KOs) decked Gonzales (34-6, 29 KOs) with a left hook at the ribcage, ending the fight at 2:45 in Round 7.
The Filipino ruled the first three rounds, throwing several body and head shots against the Mexican.
The taller Gonzales found its range on Round 4, pacing Pe?alosa with jabs and upper cuts in the next two rounds.
The Filipino?s counter punching, however, sent the Mexican to its knees at the seventh, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
It was a sweet victory for the aging boxing veteran, who first became a world champion in 1997 after beating Hiroshi Kawashima for WBC super flyweight crown.
Pe?alosa?s win also gave Team Philippines its fifth win.
ABS-CBN correspondent Dyan Castillejo reported that no less than the “Golden Boy” himself, Oscar dela Hoya, will bring the $500,000 cash prize and World Cup trophy to the Philippines.
Reports also said that dela Hoya, the tourney’s organizer, plans to bring the trophy to Manila next month and will personally present it to President Arroyo at Malaca?ang.
Nightmare after dream win The main feature, meanwhile, turned out to be a nightmare for the Filipinos as WBO super bantamweight king Daniel Ponce De Leon twice knocked down previously unbeaten challenger Bautista.
It was a heart-breaking loss for the young Bautista, who was hailed as the next ?Manny Pacquiao.?
De Leon (32-1, 29 KOs) flashed Bautista (23-1, 17 KOs) a hard left that sent the Filipino wobbling to the canvas.
The gritty Mexican then threw a one-two combo that sent the Filipino to his second knock down, effectively ending the fight at 2:30 of Round 1.
De Leon retained his crown and earned a vindication for his fellow Mexicans, who suffered a 5-1 loss at the World Cup of Boxing.
‘4-0’ Z ?The Dream? Gorres (27-2-1, 15 KOs) won victory number four for the Philippines when he scored a TKO over Eric Ortiz (26-7-1, 17 KOs) to grab the IBF junior bantamweight Intercontinental title.
The referee stopped the fight at Round 8 when Ortiz already had a big swelling at the right forehead at 2:15.
AJ ?Bazooka? Banal (14-0-1, 11 KOs) scored the third win for the Filipinos by beating Jorge Cardenas (9-4-3, 6 KOs) in Sacramento, California.
Banal kept his record unblemished by knocking down Cardenas in Round 3.
The Mexican twisted his right ankle while going down, prompting the referee to stop the fight with 0:28 seconds left at the third round.
The Filipinos also dominated the Mexicans during the first two fights with Michael Domingo (32-14-2, 12 KOs) and Diosdado Gabi (30-3-1, 21 KOs) scoring wins over their opponents via unanimous decisions.
Domingo had it 60-54 in all score cards to beat Miguel Roman (21-1, 15 KOs) while Gabi churned out a straight 80-72 against Jose Angel Beranza (30-10-2, 25 KOs).
