DOHA, Qatar – Feisty Rogen Ladon reprised the relentless attacking style he first displayed in the Asian Championships in Bangkok last month, to score the very first win in the World Boxing Championships and Olympic Qualifiers at the ultra-modern Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena.
Ladon fought Tuesday afternoon in the first bout of the tournament against World Series of Boxing (WSB) veteran Leandro Blanc of Argentina.
Ladon quickly went to work in the first few moments of the fight, delivering various combinations to the head and body of the startled Argentinian.
"Medyo matigas din at malakas ang kaliwa pero nung makuha ko na ang timing ko, alam ko na paano ko siya patatamaan" (he's tough too, but when I found my rhythm, I knew how to hit him), said the soft-spoken Bago City native.
The 3 judges from Belarus, Lithuania, and Trinidad & Tobago all returned identical scores of 30-26 for the Filipino after three rounds.
Ladon's next fight will be on Thursday against the number 1 seed, Mexican Joselito Velazquez Altamirano.
Upon learning that eight division champion Manny Pacquiao was scheduled to arrive here on the day of his second fight, Ladon gushed "Sana nga dumating si Idol! Malaking inspirasyon sa amin yon!".
The 21 year-old Ladon is one of two Filipino boxers here, who qualified via the Asian Championships last month, where he and welterweight Eumir Felix Marcial,19, both won silver medals.
AIBA president Ching Kuo Wu held a press conference here Tuesday noon and announced that Pacquiao accepted his personal invitation and will arrive Thursday morning. The surprise announcement was met by cheers from the dozens of international media men who are here to cover the championships.
Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Wilfredo C. Santos is expected to be at the Hamad International Airport to welcome the visiting congressman from Saranggani.
Source: Spin.ph
