AMAP under Kru Rober Valdez got 2 golds aaaand 1 Bronze at the 2004
MuayThai World Championships in Thailand courtesy of Brent Velasco
and Roland Claro with the Bronze from Billy Alumno...

Wanlu Lunaria




ABS-CBN Interactive

Friday, November 12, 2004 11:24 PM


Two Filipinos capture Muaythai gold medals

BANGKOK—Brent "Golden Boy" Velasco and Roland "Ruso" Claro clinched
gold medals in the 2004 Muaythai World Championships.


Velasco who hails from Baguio City, bloodied Finn Pirtioja Tino in
the first round and kept up the pressure until the final bell en
route to copping the gold medal in the 54-kg class.


The much taller Tino, who got into the finals via a walkover win over
a Thai who opted out when he saw Velasco pummel South African Lazarus
Guy in a referee-stopped semifinal bout—was frustration personified
when he could not get his attack going.


Winning the gold in world championships is getting to be a habit for
Velasco. He was also the champion in his class in 2000 when
Philippines was declared the "most improved team" and in 2002 when a
five-man team reaped three golds.


Claro from Zamboanga City made his debut in the international arena
as impressive as it could be when he floored tough Mirzain Dilhod
twice in the four two-minute rounds of the 48-kg finals.


Dilhod, one of the top bets of powerhouse Uzbekistan, came back like
a raging bull each time he was downed by Claro's kicks but Claro
proved he was a classy matador.


"The gold medal is for flag and country and we will continue
training hard for we want to become the first Filipino Muaythai gold
medalists in the Southeast Asian Games," chorused Velasco and Claro.


Veteran internationalist Billy Alumno also from Baguio City
contributed a bronze medal to the Filipinos' haul while the fourth
boxer Davis Panisigan had the misfortune of facing a Russian in his
first ever international outing and exited early.


Muaythai Association of the Philippines president Robert Valdez said,
"Our boys' showing reaffirmed the Philippines' status as a major
player in the world of Muaythai."


USA's Evan Esguerra of Filipino parentage also earned a bronze medal
in Alumno's 67kg class. Other boxers whose roots are in the
Philippines are Americans Chris Romulo (three-time USA World
Kickboxing championship) and Mark Tabuso and Australian Allan
Manansala.


Some five hundred 500 fighters, including 100 women, from 69
International Federation of Muaythai Amateur member-countries
displayed their wares in the tourney organized by IFMA, World
Muaythai Council, Sports Authority of Thailand and Board of Boxing
Sport of Thailand.


Meanwhile, IFMA's entry to the General Association of International
Sports Federation wil be voted upon by GAISP General Assembly in
Berlin April next year.




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