Ladon resumes bid vs Mexican; Pacquiao due

MANILA, Philippines - Light-flyweight Rogen Ladon will draw inspiration from Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao when he returns to the ring today at the Ali Bin Hammad Al Attiya in Doha, Qatar.

Ladon will be up against top seed Joselito Velazquez Altamirano of Mexico in the second round of the AIBA World Boxing Championships.

The other night, the 21-year-old from Bago City scored an impressive debut in the World Championships when he outfought Leandro Blanc of Argentina, 3-0.

If Ladon, who won the silver in last month’s ASBC Asian Championships, gets past the Mexican today, he boosts his chances of nailing a slot to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

That’s why he needs all the inspiration, and Pacquiao will be there to provide it.

Welterweight Eumir Felix Marcial, also a silver medalist in the Asian Championships held in Bangkok, was set to face Walid Said Mohamed of Egypt last night.

If Marcial advances, he moves on to a projected quarterfinals matchup against world number one Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakhstan.

In Bangkok, Marcial lost in the finals to Yeleussinov, the reigning Asian Games champion and veteran of the 2012 London Olympics.

The 36-year-old Pacquiao is expected to  be at ringside when Ladon climbs the ring against the No. 1 fighter from Mexico.

Because of his busy schedule, Pacquiao will stay in Doha for 20 hours, and he’s set to board the plane back to Manila at 4 a.m. Friday.