CEBU, BAGO EARLY FAVORITES IN PSC-PACQUIAO CUP VISAYAS PRELIMS

BY LITO DELOS REYES

[Top photo] Top-favorite Cebu City boxing team under head coachJordan Dopalco [seated, extreme right] while below is host Bago City mentored by Olympian Larry Semillano [seated,middle, stripe shirt]. PHOTO BY LITO DELOS REYES

Gabriel Tapales [left], younger brother of former world champion Marlon Tapales, being assisted by coach Jordan Doplaco [right] during the screening by the PSC. [Photo by LITO DELOS REYES)

Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo is flanked by supervising tournament director Rogelio Fortaleza [right] and secretariat head Annie Ruiz during their inspection at the venue last Feb. 1. [Photo by LITO DELOS REYES]

BAGO CITY, Negros Occidental — The visiting Cebu City boxing team is still the team to beat despite losing two boxers already due to technicality in the two-day Visayas Preliminaries of the PSC-Pacquiao Amateur Boxing Cup set today (Feb. 3) and tomorrow (Feb. 4) at the Manuel Y. Torres Memorial Coliseum in Bago City.

Both Gabriel Tapales (44-46 kg.) and Yer Roge Gura (52 kg.) were disqualified by the organizing Philippine Sports Institute headed by supervising tournament director Rogelio Fortaleza to compete in the Junior Boys Division for being underage.

“They still lack the required birth year. We are just protecting these young and promising boxers,” Fortaleza said.

Qualified to join the Junior Boys and Girls category are between the ages of 15-16 years old with a cut-off date of 2001-2002. Both Tapales (a younger brother of former world champion Marlon Tapales) and Gura were born in 2003.

Also qualified to compete in the Youth Boys and Girls division are between the ages of 17-18 years old and a Cut-off date of 1999- 2000.

Cebu City, however, still has Albay Palarong Pambansa gold medalist Eduardo Jimenez Jr., Philippine National Games Antique gold medal winner John Ro Taneo, bronze medalist Limber Cainap, Batang Pinoy triple bronze medalist John Paul Gabunelas and bronze medalist Angelo Bulasa.

“Sayang, maski bata pa sila Tapales ug Gura, preparado na sila kay gina pilde man gani nila ang mga ka sparring nila na edad 17 ug 18,” said Cebu City head coach Jordan Dopalco.

Cebu City, which emerged as over-all champion in the recently-concluded Batang Pinoy Visayas Meet, also has the Llamas sisters – Faith Colin and Mary Nicole Llamas – who won a silver and bronze, respectively in the Palarong Pambansa in Tagum.

“Cebu ang pinaka malakas na team. Pero handa kaming lumaban, “ (Cebu is the strongest team. But we are ready to fight) said Bago City head coach Larry Semillano, who represented the country in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

The host team has Batang Pinoy Visayas gold medalist (50 kg.), Batang Pinoy Tagum gold medalist Rodel Gamo (36 kg.), Palaro Albay silver medalist Joshua Belecina (40 kg.), regional champions Mark Lyndon Bolanos (42 kg.) and Jasper John Anida (34 kg.).

Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo will host a welcome lunch today (Feb. 12) for all the coaches and officials of the two-day event sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission in coordination with the office of Sen. Manny Pacquiao.