FILIPINO boxers punched their way to seven gold medals in the 30th Southeast Asian Games Monday, highlighted by a sensational first round stoppage scored by Eumir Felix Marcial over his Vietnamese foe.
World women’s champion Nesthy Petecio bannered the Filipino pugs’ campaign, winning the gold in the 57-kg class (featherweight) with a 5-0 shutout of Nwe Ni Oo of Myanmar at the PICC Forum.
Also winning gold medals were Carlo Paalam (light flyweight), Rogen Ladon (flyweight), Josie Gabuco (women’s light-flyweight), James Palicte (light welterweight), Charly Suarez (lightweight), and Marcial (middleweight).
In all, the Filipinos topped seven of 13 events at stake to win the overall title.
Thailand accounted for five golds while the other gold was won by Vietnam.
Marcial, silver-medal winner in the last Aiba World Championships, provided the highlight of the night, winning won the 75-kg class (middleweight) with a first round knockout of Vietnamese Manh Cuong Nguyen.
The 24-year-old native of Zamboanga initially staggered Nguyen with a solid left before delivering the coup de grace, a crunching left to the body that had the Vietnamese haplessly going down to the canvas.
Paalam got the Philippine boxing medal machine going with a 5-0 win over Kornelis Kwangu Langu of Indonesia, followed by a similar 5-0 thrashing scored by Ladon on Ammarit Yaodam of Thailand. Palicte also outclassed Van Hai Nguyen of Vietnam 5-0.
Former world champion Gabuco was the other lady gold-medal winner for Team Philippines, whipping Endang of Indonesia 5-0.
Three other Filipinos—Irish Magno, Riza Pasuit and Marjon Piañar—settled for silver medals.
Magno lost to Thi Tam Nguyen of Vietnam 1-4 while Pasuit and Piañar lost by similar scores of 5-0 against Sudaporn Seesondee of Thailand.