Daeloniel (front right) with his Pakistani opponent Abbasi before the 57kg final.
KUCHNG (June 14): Sarawak Sukma boxer Daeloniel McDelon’s boxing career reached another milestone after he topped the 57kg category at the Pakistan Professional Boxing Championships last Saturday. It is rare for a Sarawak boxer to grab an international title.
The Sri Aman-born boxer silenced the roar of Pakistani home fans at the Lalak Jan Stadium with a technical knock-out (TKO) victory over Sikandar Abbasi. Boxers from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, and Nigeria took part in the tournament.
The win adds another feather on Daeloniel’s cap after a string of local and national titles in recent years. He won the gold medal at the 2015 Borneo Zone Boxing Championships, the 2016 Jakarta Professional Boxing Championships, the 2018 Johor Mayor Cup and the Malaysia Cup National Boxing Championship 2019-2021.
Sarawak Boxing Association (SABA) president Dato Rahman Lariwoo has described Daeloniel as the pride of not only Sarawak but also the country as well. He was the sole Malaysian representative at the international tournament.
“On behalf of SABA, we congratulate and are very proud of the success achieved by Daeloniel. This victory will definitely inspire him to continue to achieve more success in the next tournaments including the 20th Sukma in September,” he said.
He expressed his appreciation to the Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) and Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) for supporting SABA’s development programme. He also thanked the Kuching Division Boxing Association and its president Dato Zulquarnien Ahmad for sending Daelionel to the Pakistan championships.
Video from Facebook – Sa’on Majidi Boyd