Chavez Jr., Fajardo keep Paris Olympic boxing goal alive

MANILA, Philippines — Ronald Chavez Jr. wasn’t even born yet when his father and boxing mentor Ronald Sr. and uncle Arlo made it to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

That’s why the 24-year-old son and nephew of the former Asian Championship and Southeast Asian Games gold medalists knows how heavy the weight he will carry in order for him to make it to the same destination his elders went — the Olympics.

And he’s getting there though.

Showing the same trademark grit and ferocity of the Chavez family, Chavez, Jr. took the first of the many necessary steps toward barging into this July’s Paris Games as he edged Cape Verde’s Bruno de Fernandes de Barros in the World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy Tuesday.

He survived the opening round by the skin of his teeth as he battled and scraped for the 3-2, split decision victory that set him up against Jordan’s Zeyad Eashash, who trounced Tajikistan’s Shokhobzhon Shukurov, 4-1, in the round-of-32.

The young Chavez will need to hurdle Eashash and two more rivals to make it to the semifinals where he will automatically book a ticket to the Paris-bound bus and continue the family tradition.

More impressive was 19-year-old Mark Ashley Fajardo, an Asian Games veteran who hammered out a sensational third-round knockout win over Portuguese Albertino Monteiro in the men’s 63.5kg division to likewise stay in the Olympic hunt.

Like Chavez Jr., Fajardo would need to win three more bouts including one against Colombian Jose Manuel Viafara Fory, a 3-2 winner over Italian Gianluigi Malanga, in the round-of-32, to earn a spot to the quadrennial summer sports spectacle.

The pair thus joined Tokyo silver winner Nesthy Petecio and Olympian Rogen Ladon to the next round.

And expect more in the coming days as John Marvin (92kg), Aira Villegas (women’s 50kg), Claudine Veloso (women’s 54kg) and Hergie Bacyadan (women’s 75kg) have yet to wade into battle.

The country is eyeing more Olympic qualifiers like early entrants pug  Eumir Marcial, pole vaulter EJ Obiena and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan. — Joey Villar