Ladon feels the pressure

Light-flyweight Rogen Ladon admits feeling an enormous amount of pressure as he competes in the 2017 AIBA World Championships next month in Germany.

Having captured a bronze two years ago in the same event staged in Doha, Qatar, Ladon insists that he has to come up with at least similar performance.

"Of course, being the bronze medalist in 2015, people expect a lot from you," said Ladon Monday in Tagalog, less than 24 hours after arriving from Guangzhou, China, where he and other members of the national team camped out for two weeks of intense training.

Ladon, 23, is one of just three Filipino punchers who qualified for the worlds scheduled Aug. 22 to Sept. 3 at the SportHalle in Hamburg.

Flyweight Dannel Maamo is also entered while welter Eumir Felix Marcial was tapped to beef up the squad seeing action in the 29th Southeast Asian Games also next month in Kuala Lumpur.

Ladon and Maamo are going to be the only bets in Germany but Ladon wants to go all the way to the top, stressing that with proper conditioning and preparation, winning is not a remote possibility.

No other Filipino puncher has won in the world championships although the closest came during the time of Roel Velasco in 1997 in Budapest and Harry Tanamor in 2007 in Chicago when they both settled for the silver.

In the runup to Germany, the Ne- gros-bred Ladon will stay in Baguio City until the four-man team is called to depart for Hamburg on Aug. 21.

Ladon and Maamo, who hails from Cagayan de Oro, will get instructions from national team head coach Nolito “Boy” Velasco and former amateur standout Ronald Chavez while they are in Germany.

Ladon will kick off the Philippine campaign on Aug. 25th while Maamo will make his debut on Aug. 26th.

Ladon is looking forward to make heads turn as he eyes the top prize, not just to repeat as a bronze medalist even in the presence of the division's top guns.