From Serbia to the Netherlands, the Philippine Boxing Team under the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) delivered a statement performance, bringing home four gold medals while battling elite international opposition across two prestigious tournaments.
Leading the charge was rising star Clark Vicera, whose breakout stretch overseas quickly turned him into one of the brightest names in the national program.
Vicera first showcased his form during the 63rd Belgrade Winner Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Tournament in Serbia held from March 13 to 17, where he dominated the Men’s 50kg division with a string of commanding performances.
His road to gold started with a unanimous decision victory over 2024 Youth World Boxing Championships bronze medalist Dias Berikbay of Kazakhstan in the preliminaries. From there, Vicera continued his flawless run with convincing wins against Ibrahim Aljohani of Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals and Nurzat Ongarov of Kazakhstan in the semifinals.
He then capped his Serbian campaign with a gritty 4-1 split decision triumph against Salih Samet Oruc of Türkiye in the gold medal match.
OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.
DOUBLE VICTORY!
Parehong naiuwi nina Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam at 19-year old Pinoy boxer Clark Vicera ang gintong medalya sa Eindhoven Box Cup 2026 sa Netherlands.
ABAP#2026PalarongPambansa#PTVSportsNetwork#PTVSports#ParaSaAtletangPilipino pic.twitter.com/CRvVUH0aTE
— PTV Sports Network (@ptvphsports) May 26, 2026
While Vicera was overpowering opponents in the men’s division, veteran boxer Riza Pasuit quietly put together one of the cleanest tournament runs of the event in the Women’s 57kg category.
Pasuit never surrendered a single scorecard throughout her campaign, overwhelming Victoria Vergos of Canada, Areti Stergiou of Greece, and Ece Asude Ediz of Türkiye, all via unanimous decision to secure another gold medal for the Philippines.
Paul Julyfer Bascon added to the country’s medal haul after earning bronze in the Men’s 60kg division, giving the national team another podium finish against a deep international field.
But the Philippine squad was far from finished, shortly after Serbia, the team headed to the Netherlands for the Eindhoven Box Cup, where Vicera once again emerged in the tournament.
The young Filipino boxer claimed his second gold medal of the European campaign after defeating Sameer Ardawan of Belgium in the semifinals and Ruslan Bednychenko of Ukraine in the finals, both through unanimous decisions.
Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam then added another golden finish to the Philippines’ successful campaign.
After missing the Serbia tournament due to illness, Paalam wasted little time reminding everyone why he remains one of the country’s most accomplished boxers.
Competing in the Men’s 55kg division, Paalam opened his campaign with a dominant 5-0 quarterfinal victory over Justin Sahin of Germany before figuring in one of the tournament’s most talked-about matches against Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist Billal Bennama of France.
In a tightly contested bout, Paalam emerged victorious via a 4-1 split decision to advance to the finals.
He completed his championship run in style with another unanimous decision victory against Abdul Burton of England to secure the Philippines’ fourth gold medal.
More than just a medal haul, the strong showing in Europe offered a glimpse of the Philippines’ growing depth in amateur boxing — blending experienced names like Paalam and Pasuit with emerging talents such as Vicera.
Don’t miss out on the latest sports news, updates, and fan discussions!
Follow our Facebook page Sports PH News today and join the community of passionate sports fans.
Leave a Reply