Brothers Victorio, Rey win Tampere boxing gold medals

TAMPERE, Finland — Two young brothers from Davao del Norte captured gold medals while two other Filipino bets settled for silvers as the PLDT-Abap national team matched the championship performance of its predecessor four years ago in the 31st Tammer Cup at the Pyynikkin Palloiluhalli Sports Hall here.

Victorio Saludar stamped his class over England’s Charlie Edwards, 7-3, en route to being named “Best Fighter” of the tournament, while Rey Saludar, two years older at 21, swamped Portugal’s Pedro Matos, 6-0.

The last time the Philippines participated here was in 2006 with Joan Tipon and Violito Payla bringing home gold medals.

Top Filipino bet Charly Suarez and Delfin Boholts fell short in their bids to complete a Philippine sweep.

Finnish superstar Matti Koota wrote finis to the lofty Filipino expectations as he masterfully countered everything thrown at him by Suarez to snap the Philippine run by a stunning 6-0 win.

Suarez appeared anxious from the onset and missed a lot of shots in going after the slick Finnish, who displayed deft counter-punching and suave moves that frustrated the Filipino no end.

Suarez’s best friend, Boholst, went the same route. The Gingoog City native could not seem to get his game going versus Ross Hickey and eventually bowed to the Irish fighter, 2-1.

The two-gold, two-silver performance of the Philippines was nonetheless the best among all participants as none was able to come close to the Filipino feat of getting all their four boxers in the finals.

Host Finland and France were second with three finalists each.(pr)

Philippines with most number of Finalists in Tammer Cup

Tampere, Finland- The Philippines has the most number of boxers in the finals of the 31st Tammer Cup. All four fighters sent by PLDT-ABAP made it to the gold medal round Sunday, October 17 at the Pyynikkin Palloiluhalli Sports Hall in Tampere. 

The fights start at 2 p.m. (7 p.m. Manila time).

Charly Suarez, Delfin Boholst and the brothers Saludar- Rey and Victorio take on their respective rivals in the tournament which was first held in 1977. 

Suarez takes on Matti Koota of Finland, Delfin Boholst's light welterweight match is against Ross Hickey of Ireland while Rey Saludar disputes the gold with Pedro Matos of Portugal. His younger brother Victorio has Charlie Edwards of England as finals foe.

Two countries have 3 protagonists in the gold medal hunt-Finland and France while Germany got 2 boxers in. 8 countries have 1 representation apiece- Russia, Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Azerbaijan, England, Kazakhstan and Sweden.

ABAP executive director Ed Picson reports the Filipino simon-pures are the toast of the tournament."So many people come up to us to congratulate us, wish us well and even ask if they could train in the Philippines! But we're focused on the task ahead...to soak up as much knowledge as we can and if fate allows it, to bring home some golden presents to our countrymen."

The last time the Philippines participated here  was in 2006 with Joan Tipon and Violito Payla bringing home the gold.(pr)Tammer

Victorio & Rey Saludar, Suarez, Boholst in finals

All 4 RP bets reach gold medal bouts in Finland

Victorio & Rey Saludar, Suarez, Boholst in finals



Tampere, Finland – The warmth of four silver medals – for now at
least – should be enough to keep the explosive fists of the PLDT-ABAP
National Boxing Team in the shivery 31st Tammer Cup here blazing all
the way to the Asian Games in Guangahou next month.

One after the other, Victorio Saludar, Charly Suarez, Delfin
Boholst and Rey Saludar marched into the gold medal fight by carving out pulsating
semifinal victories that propelled them into what could be the richest
medal harvest ever for the Philippines in this prestigious tournament.

The last time the Philippines participated here was in 2006 when Joan Tipon and Violito

Payla both struck gold. They repeated their golden feat in the Doha Asian Games 

that year.

The younger Saludar rallied from a 1-0 deficit to shock Russian Artem Ivaschenko,
4-1; Suarez showed too much class against Finnish Petteri Frojdholm,
7-2, in their 56-kilogram encounter; and Boholst broke the hearts of
the hometown crowd a second time by shutting down Jarkko Putkonen,
6-0, in the 64-kilogram class.

In the late afternoon session, Rey Saludar likewise had to come up with a big finish 

to upend a wily Irish lad, Declan Gerraghty, final score at 8-5.

“A great effort by our boxers, truly inspiring and heartwarming,” said
Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines executive director Ed
Picson, who headed the Philippine delegation in the 31st year of the tournament
held at the Pyynikin Palloiluhallissa Sports Hall.

"Our main goal here was to have a tough tune-up for the coming Asian
Games. I think we're getting that,” he said. “If we win a gold medal
or four, that would be a welcome bonus."

Victorio Saludar will face England’s Charlie Edwards in the finals,
while Suarez will go up against Finland’s Matti Koota. Rey Saludar will

have Perro Matos of Portugal as his foe. Boholst’s
opponent has yet to be determined.

The trip here is the last leg of the "Road to Asian Games" blueprint
designed by ABAP president Ricky Vargas and given all-out support by
multi-industry mogul Manny V. Pangilinan, chairman of ABAP and
telecommunications giant PLDT.

The long road started with box-offs in Baguio and Manila, training
camps and tournaments in China and the United States and an
international tournament in Manila-the MVP Cup.(pr)

Four for Four!

Four for Four!

Tampere, Finland- The PLDT-ABAP National Boxing Team wrapped up its campaign in the quarterfinal round of the 31st Tammer Cup here with a perfect slate as Flyweight Rey Saludar reprised his younger brother Victorio's earlier stoppage of a boxer from UAE Friday evening.

This time the victim was Ahmed Al Mesmari, also from the UAE, who got his third standing 8-count with 1:39 left in the first round. Amateur boxing rules call for an automatic halt to a match when one boxer is given the standing count 3 times in a round.

Mesmari actually gamely tried to engage Saludar toe-to-toe but that proved to be his undoing as he absorbed a rainfall of power shots from the Filipino army man. He probably did not want to go down the way his compatriot did against Victorio, without landing a single punch. He did throw a number of shots, but none were on target.

Earlier in the day, top Filipino bet Charly Suarez hurdled tough Russian Anatoly Borkeev in a battle of defensive savvy in the 56 Kg class that Suarez won by sheer grit and a load of patience, 2-1. 

"I felt I could beat him if I didn't lose my focus. It was a game of endurance and he blinked at least twice", said the 22 year-old Davao native in the vernacular. He faces Petteri Fjordholm of host country Finland in the semis.

Muscle-toned Light Welterweight Delfin Boholst likewise took the measure of Scotland's James Easton, opening up an early 2-0 lead. Easton however closed the gap, 2-1 in the seocnd round when the Gingoog City native seemed over-eager to score an abbreviated win. In the third round, Boholst settled down and displayed clinical precision as he scored clean shots for a convincing 4-1 win. His opponent in the semis is another Finnish boxer, Jarkko Potkonen who edged France's Hassan Amzile in the quarters, 2-1.

Victorio Saludar will try to get into the Finals of the prestigious tournament. Standing in his way is Artem Ivaschenko of Russia who eked out a 3-2 win last Thursday over Hungary's Robert Kanalas.

Rey Saludar has Declan Garraghty in the penultimate day of the tournament being held at the Pyynikin Palloiluhallissa Sports Hall in this charming northern city of Tampere.

Delegation head Ed Picson, executive director of ABAP was cautiously optimistic:"Our main goal here is to have a tough tune-up for the coming Asian Games. I think we're getting that. If we win a gold medal or four, that would be a welcome bonus."

The trip here is the last leg of the "Road to Asian Games" blueprint designed by ABAP president Ricky Vargas and given all-out support by multi-industry mogul Manny V. Pangilinan, chairman of ABAP and telecommunications giant PLDT. The long road started with box-offs in Baguio and Manila, training camps and tournaments in China and the United States and an international tournament in Manila-the MVP Cup.(pr)

V Saludar RSC winner vs UAE

Tampere, Finland- As snow gently blanketed this quaint industrial city 170 kilometers north of Helsinki, Victorio Saludar, 19, warmed up the opening day of the 31st Tammer Cup Thursday evening with a short but methodical demolition of Al Mas Dhandhani of the United Arab Emirates.

Saludar, the youngest of the PLDT-ABAP team of four nationals here, used barely a minute of fight time in disposing of his startled foe. At the get-go, he went after the startled Arab with a flurry of punches that forced his opponent to back up against his own corner only to be deluged with more punishment. The referee from England then issued the first of two standing 8-counts just a little over half a minute into the match.

The UAE fighter tried to make a fight of it as he emerged from the count, but the young pugilist from Polomolok, South Cotabato and the rich boxing stable of Barangay Una in Panabo, Davao del Norte resumed his relentless attack that had his adversary again back-pedaling into the ropes where the referee shortly stopped the brief carnage, 1:51 left in the first round. 

The amused crowd at the Pynikki Palloiluhalissa Stadium broke out in wild applause for the stunning performance of the young Filipino. Many  were overheard mentioning the name of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao amidst  a cacophony of languages.

Executive Director Ed Picson, who heads the Philippine delegation here with coaches Roel Velasco and Ronald Chavez, was not surprised. "We get that a lot. People everywhere identify our boxers with Pacquiao. We don't mind, obviously. We're proud to be associated with him", referring to the 7-division boxing title-holder who graciously allowed the PLDT-ABAP team to observe his rigorous closed-door training in Baguio a few days before the team's departure for Finland.

With the win, Saludar earned a slot in the semi-finals on Saturday against Russian Artem Ivaschenko, a 3-2 decision winner over Robert Kanalas of Hungary, assuring him of at least a bronze medal finish.

Friday sees Charly Suarez (56 Kg) seeing action against Anatoly Bokreev of Russia, Light Welterweight Delfin Boholst versus Scot Jason Easton and Rey Saludar seeing action for the first time against another fighter from the UAE, Ahmed Al Mesmari in the 52 Kg category.

The tournament, started in 1977, counts among its illustrious alumni the likes of Mike Tyson and Oscar de la Hoya. The Tammer Cup  drew 22 countries this year with 92 boxers. It ends Sunday.[pr]

RP boxing team meets Pacman before leaving for Tammer Cup

BOXING icon Manny Pacquiao, center,  accepts a souvenir national team shirt from the PLDT-ABAP boxers bound for the Tammer Cup in Finland and the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Standing from left are: Delfin Boholst, Coach Roel Velasco, Charly Suarez, Victorio Saludar, Coach Ronald Chavez, Rey Saludar, RP women's team manager Karina Picson, Head Coach Pat Gaspi, and ABAP executive director Ed Picson. Seated in front are Coach Nolito Velasco and Annie Albania.[ABAP]







The Philippine National Boxing Team was among the handful of people allowed entry into the closed-door training session of world Pound-for-Pound King Manny Pacquiao in Baguio City Saturday.

Famed trainer Freddie Roach acceded to the request of ABAP officials Patrick Gregorio and Ed Picson who motored to Baguio City to oversee the final preparations of the boxers leaving for the prestigious Tammer Cup in Tampere, Finalnd this Tuesday.

Pacquiao had earlier assured ABAP officials that he would help in the training of our national boxers.

“Having our boxers observe firsthand the work ethic and intensity Pacquiao brings to his training sessions is more than enough to inspire our boxers and give them an idea of what the keys to success are. I just hope these sunk in”, commented Picson after Pacquiao’s grueling 2 1/2-hour session at the Shape-Up Gym .

Roach and conditioning expert  Alex Ariza have also pledged to visit the ABAP training camp in Baguio City to share their training and conditioning drills and techniques with the nationals.

“This can only redound to the benefit of our boxers. We thank Manny and his coaches for their enthusiasm in lending a hand to the team”, said Gregorio.

Boxers Victorio and Rey Saludar, Charly Suarez, products of the Brgy.Una Boxing Program founded by former Davao del Norte congressman Tony Boy Floirendo Jr. in Panabo City (Davao del Norte) before joining the national team, and Delfin Boholst leave on Tuesday for Finland for the prestigious Tammer Cup which has lured 23 participating countries, mostly European.

“We want to be exposed to the European style because some of our opponents in the Asian Games like the Kazakhs and the Uzbeks have similar styles”, according to Picson.

Annie Albania and Wilfredo Lopez will join them in November for the Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China.[pr]