Onyok Velasco believes Philippines can claim boxing gold in next Olympics
MANILA, Philippines — After witnessing the impressive run of the Philippine national boxing team in the recently concluded 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 1996 Olympics silver medalist Onyok Velasco believes the elusive gold medal in boxing is within reach.
Falling short of the gold himself in Atlanta 25 years ago, Velasco is taking the multi-medal haul in Tokyo as a sign of good things to come, and that the gold for Filipino boxers will come sooner rather than later.
"Masaya ako dahil bumangon ulit yung boxing natin kasi halos ilang taon din na di tayo nakatikim ng medal sa boxing, halos 25 years din," Velasco told Noli Eala on his radio show "Power & Play" on Saturday.
"Ito na yata ang hudyat na sa susunod na Olympics makagold na tayo [sa boxing]," he said.
Even in Tokyo, the elusive gold medal was already within sight of the Filipino pugs with not one, but two boxers going into gold medal fights, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam.
The 47-year-old even believed that Petecio could've won it all if she had not been facing a home bet in Sena Irie.
Engaging in a tightly fought gold medal match, Velasco says Petecio could've tipped the scales in her favor if it wasn't a Japanese fighter in the other corner.
"Malaki talaga yung chance niya sana duon na mag gold kung hindi lang Japan yung nakalaban niya, siguro baka nanalo siya dun," said the former light flyweight fighter of Petecio.
Velasco also lamented bronze medalist Eumir Marcial's lost chance at the gold, when he lost against Oleksandr Khyzniak via split decision.
The retired boxer said that if Marcial had went on to the gold medal match, he might've come home with the mint.
"Kung nalusutan niya yun [si Khyzniak], tingin ko, although marami naman talaga siyang nakalaban, sa tingin ko nakaya niya, kasi parang napagod siya sa last round [eh]," Velasco said.
Khyzniak ended up with the silver medal in the middleweight division after suffering a shock third-round KO defeat to Brazil's Herbert Sousa.
Velasco's hopes for the gold medal in boxing by Paris 2024 is not lost though, as both Marcial and Petecio have made their plans known to still pursue the gold medal in three years time.
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