Aaron Jude Bado and Flint Jara will vie for the gold medal after winning their respective semifinal bouts in the Asian Boxing Confederation Asian U22 Boxing Championships in Bangkok last Monday.
Bado secured a unanimous decision over Qaiyum Ariffin of Malaysia, 5-0, in the men’s flyweight division to reach the gold medal round.
The Filipino pug is set to face 2021 AIBA Boxing World Championships bronze medalist and hometown bet Thanarat Saengphet in the final.
Saengphet defeated Mamirjonov Mukhammadkodir, 5-0, in a separate semifinal bout.
In men’s bantamweight, Jara produced a split decision win over Mongolia’s Dorjnyambuu Ganbold, 3-2, in the semifinal to secure at least a silver medal.
The pride of Baguio City is set to face off with Altunbek Nursultan, who secured a 5-0 decision over Kyrgyzstan’s Torobaev Islam of Kazakhstan, in a separate semifinal encounter.
The final bouts will take place on Thursday at 3 p.m. Philippine time.
Meanwhile, two Filipino boxers will take home bronze medals despite crashing out of the semifinals in their weight divisions.
Mark Lester Durens absorbed a 0-5 decision against Uzbek Shodiyorjon Melikuziev in the men’s minimumweight division.
Jericho Acaylar succumbed to a 0-5 verdict to Kazakhstan’s Sabyrkhan Makhmud in men’s featherweight.
