The Philippine national boxing team has kicked its preparations for the upcoming 2026 Asian Games into high gear, coming off a spectacular European run that yielded four gold medals and one bronze across prestigious tournaments in Serbia and the Netherlands.
Standout fighters Clark Vicera and Riza Pasuit spearheaded the initial onslaught at the 63rd Belgrade Winner Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Tournament in Serbia, both climbing the top of the podium in their respective divisions.
Vicera’s stellar run began with a unanimous decision over Kazakh youth world bronze medalist Dias Berikbay, followed by masterclasses against Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim Aljohani and Kazakhstan’s Nurzat Ongarov. He ultimately captured the men’s 50-kilogram gold after squeezing past Turkiye’s Salih Samet Oruc via a 4-1 split decision.
Pasuit was equally dominant in the women’s 57kg class, sweeping her way from the quarterfinals with unanimous decision victories over Canada’s Victoria Vergos and Greece’s Areti Stergiou, before shutting down Turkiye’s Ece Asude Ediz in the finals. Paul Julyfer Bascon chipped in a bronze medal in the men’s 60kg event to round out the Belgrade haul.
The Filipinos carried that burning momentum into the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands, where Vicera doubled his golden tally by defeating Ukraine’s Ruslan Bednychenko.
Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Carlo Paalam also stamped his class in the Netherlands, ruling the men’s 55kg division. Paalam’s campaign was highlighted by a sensational 4-1 split decision semifinal triumph over Paris Olympics silver medalist Billal Bennama of France, before he outpointed England’s Abdul Burton for the gold.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) President Marcus Manalo expressed immense satisfaction with the team’s trajectory ahead of the regional showpiece.
“This is a sign that we’re heading in the right direction as we look forward to the upcoming Asian Games in September,” Manalo said.