Junmilardo Ogayre got the Philippine boxing campaign back on track after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Gantömöriin Lundaa of Mongolia in the men’s -60kg preliminary round on Wednesday at the Nishio Gymnasium in Nishio City.
Ogayre displayed remarkable composure against the relentless pressure of his Mongolian foe, who pressed the action from the opening bell. Lundaa pushed the Filipino to the ropes, looking to dominate the exchanges.
But Ogayre relied on his jab and pinpoint accuracy to score from the inside and punish Lundaa’s aggressiveness. The 27-year-old Filipino worked the ring effectively, timing his counterpunches and capitalizing on openings whenever the Mongolian unloaded.
The former Asian Boxing Championships bronze medalist earned 4-1 split decisions in the first two rounds, giving him some cushion heading into the final round.
Despite slowing down in the last round, Lundaa continued moving forward in search of a big punch that could turn the tide of the bout. His persistence paid off when the referee called a standing eight-count against Ogayre.
However, Ogayre did enough to secure the victory. Although he lost the final round, all five judges still scored it 9-10 in favor of the Mongolian, giving Ogayre the unanimous decision win.
The six-member Philippine boxing team is now 2-1, with Ogayre and Norlan Petecio’s victories making up for the crushing defeat suffered by Paris Olympian Aira Villegas.
Still to see action are Olympic medalist Nesthy Petecio in the women’s -60kg division, Carlo Paalam in the men’s -55kg class, and Riza Pasuit in the women’s -54kg division.
