Quinit & Nuelan bring home the belts

	Jonathan Quinit (left), 2010 Ringside World Champion at 108 lbs, Open Mens 17-34 and Jason Nuelan, 2010 Ringside World Champion at 132 lbs, Novice Mens 17-34 (Photo courtesy Harmony Fotohouse & Creative)
	Jon Quinit (centre) with team mate Crystal Brown (left) and coach Dejan (right)

Saturday August 7 was a special day for one of our own local Filipino boxers. Jon Quinit continues to make a name for himself in the boxing world. Jon captured a championship belt in the 106-pound division for the 10^th Annual Ringside World Championships held in Kansas City. It is one of the largest amateur boxing tournaments in the world.

In Jon’s first fight, he defeated Tyrell Dennis from St. Louis in a lopsided match scoring points with ease. Jon says he, “mixed up his head and body blows well and scored most of the points with the balance.”

After the win, Quinit then moved on to fight Carlos Suarez, a Mexican fighter residing in the USA. In a closer fight, Suarez was the busier fighter but Jon felt he was the more “accurate” boxer as he landed with precision. Judges scored the three two-minute rounds in favour of Quinit to hoist the belt.

Next for Quinit will be the Provincials in October followed by the Western Canadian Championships in November. To end the year, Quinit hopes to do well in the Nationals held in December. All this training and lead-up fights will hopefully take him that much closer to an Olympic birth in 2012. Nineteen-year-old Jon knows it’s going to require a lot of hard work and determination, but he’s ready and willing to put in the time and energy to become an Olympian. His family and friends wish him the best and continue to support his passion for the game.

Phil Natividad, Orioles Boxing Club coach and Financial Director of Boxing Manitoba, travelled to the tournament in a caravan that included members of his club, Jon’s United Boxing Club, Alliance Boxing Club and Pan-Am Boxing Club. Natividad reports that this group of 10 boxers brought home three belts, two of them won by Winnipeg Pinoys – Jon Quinit of United BC and Jason Nuelan of Orioles BC who beat Richard Pena of Texas for the men’s 17-34 132-pound novice belt.

Check out the Orioles Boxing group on Facebook to see more pictures from the event.

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