By Jerome S. Galunan, Jr.

The Philippine national boxing team finished the recently-concluded President’s Cup in Kazakhstan with one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal.
Carlos Paalam of Cagayan de Oro City captured gold in the 49kg division, defeating Askhat Zhusipov of Kazakhstan, 3-2, in the finals. Mario Fernandez took silver in the 56kg division, falling 5-0 to Kazakh fighter Ilyas Suleymanov.
Meanwhile, Nesty Petecio took bronze in the women’s 60kg division.
“The preparation was outstanding, boxers can follow additional input from their corners,” remarked national team coach Roel Velasco. “We are on the right track.”
“For the women’s team, the preparation was great but I think we still need to work harder for the gold medal,” he added. “They have to overcome those tests, don’t give up, and always think positively.”/WDJ