martial art 1

Atok pride misses WBO title; Igorot boxers cited by GMAJogin Tamayo
Sports, 3/30/2008

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The Cordilleras missed having a legitimate world champion last March 17.

The youthful Javier Malulan of Atok, Benguet lost by a close split decision to Pungluang Sor Singyu of Thailand for the vacant World Boxing Organization flyweight title in Pattaya, Thailand.

“Bugbog na iyung Thai na kalaban ni Javier pero nung huli kinapos na... niner-biyos daw,” said international matchmaker and local boxing promoter Brico Santig who accompanied Malulan and another Filipino boxer from Davao.

Malulan, from the Everlasting stable, skipped the main event during the Great Fights at the Heights last March 9 at the CCDC gym in Buyagan to face his biggest challenge in his professional career.

“Sayang, may world champion na sana tayo,” said Santig who also accompanied Malulan and Amor Tino, another boxer from Bokod, Benguet in receiving their citations from no less than President Gloria Arroyo during the 8th Banquet of Champions and the Elorde Awards Night last March 28 at the Manila Hotel.

The two Cordillera champions joined seve-ral other Filipino world boxing champions including newly crowned World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion Man-ny Pacquiao, Gerry Peñalosa, Nonito Do-naire, Bernabe Con-cepcion, and former champ Luisito Espi-nosa, among others.

Tino is the WBO Youth Asian Pacific superfeatherweight champion while Malulan is the WBO-AsPac flyweight division champion.

Meanwhile, after winning gold and silver medals in the World Muay Boran Championships, some members of the victorious Cordillera delegation stayed behind in Thailand to attend a summer camp in muay thai.

Ricky Agayas and George Lusadan, gold medalists in sparring, and Reneboy Bellisil and Delver Mangaoile, silver medalists in the same event, underwent training at the Bangkok Sawat Training Camp and will be home by April 5.

Agayas, also the lone gold medalist in the World Martial Arts Festival last December in Thailand, together with his group also won the gold in the muay aerobics team event.