Ladon gives Pacquiao’s Philippines shot at boxing gold

JAKARTA: Manny Pacquiao’s Philippines remained on course Friday to win their first Asian Games boxing gold since 2010 when Rogen Ladon swept into the flyweight final with a unanimous 5-0 points victory.

But there was there was agony later for Ladon’s compatriots, light flyweight Carlo Paalam and middleweight Eumir Felix Marcial, who both lost hairline 3-2 split decisions and will have to settle for bronze.

Rising power Uzbekistan were the lords of the ring on semi-final day, with all six of their fighters reaching Saturday’s finals in front of the watching International Boxing Association (AIBA) interim present and fellow Uzbek Gafur Rakhimov.

Ladon used his classy left hand to good effect as he outboxed Thailand’s Tongdee Yuttapong. But the 24-year-old from the southern island of Negros Occidental has some patching up to do after suffering a cut on the bridge of his nose, to add to an existing cut that reopened over his left eye.“We went in at the same time and of course he’s shorter, so he hit me with his head,” Ladon told AFP, his face swathed in butterfly plaster stitches.