MANILA, July 15 — A total of six highly motivated local fighters will carry the country’s banner in the boxing competition of the 29th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next month.
Davao del Norte’s son and Olympian Charly Coronel Suarez, and Carlo Paalam will lead Team Philippines. They will be joined by Eumir Felix Marcial (75 kg.), Ian Clark Bautista (52 kg.), Mario Fernandez (56 kg.), and Marvin John Nobel Tupas (81 kg.).
Suarez will see action in the 64 kg. weight class while Paalam will match skills in the 49 kg.
The 28-year-old Suarez, a native of Sawata, San Isidro, Davao del Norte, is a two-time gold medalist in the regional biennial meet. He topped the featherweight class in 2009 (Laos) and the light flyweight in 2011 (Jakarta).
Suarez, a 10-year veteran member of the national team, together with Rogen Ladon, played in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He also has silver medals from the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and the prestigious Kazakhstan President’s Cup, both in 2014.
Paalam, 19, the youngest member of the boxing team, earned the respect of international and local boxing officials and fans when he was the only foreign entry to win a gold medal in the light flyweight class (49 kg.) in the recently concluded Kazakhstan President’s Cup.
Veteran internationalist Fernandez, a Philippine Air Force soldier from Bukidnon, and 2015 SEA Games gold medalist, is expected to capitalize on his experience in coming up with a respectable finish in the boxing ring tussle.
Boxing matches will start on Aug. 20 at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Center (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur. (Primo P. Agatep/PNA)
