Leopoldo Serantes

Leopoldo Serantes (March 15, 1962 – September 1, 2021) was a Filipino amateur boxer and soldier.^[1] He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea in the Light Flyweight (-48 kg) division, winning the bronze medal in a lost bout against Ivailo Marinov from Bulgaria in the semifinals.^[2][3] Serantes' win marked the first time in 24 years that an athlete from the Philippines won an Olympic medal since boxer Anthony Villanueva, his head coach, won a silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics, and he became the sixth Filipino overall to be awarded an Olympic medal.^[4][1]

Leopoldo Serantes

Personal information
Nationality	Filipino
Born	(1962-03-15)March 15, 1962
Died	September 1, 2021(2021-09-01) (aged 59)
Sport
Country	Philippines
Sport	Boxing
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Philippines Men's Boxing Olympic Games 1988 Seoul Light Flyweight Asian Championships 1985 Bangkok Flyweight Southeast Asian Games 1985 Bangkok Light flyweight 1987 Jakarta Light flyweight

Career

Serantes was a Philippine Army sergeant when he competed at the 1988 Olympics.^[5]

Southeast Asian Games

Bicol native Leopoldo Serantes was a member of the Philippine national boxing team during the 1980s. He is noted for having been the only gold medalist for the Philippines in the 1985 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, defeating Thai boxer Supad Boonrowd in the men's 48kg final. Serantes also successfully defended his title in the 1987 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia, and he was one of two Filipinos who won a gold medal in boxing in that edition of the games.^[6]

1988 Olympic results

Below is Serantes' boying competition record in the light flyweight division at the 1988 Seoul Olympics:

• Round of 64: Bye
• Round of 32: Defeated Hassan Mustafa (Egypt) referee stopped contest in the second round
• Round of 16: Defeated Sammy Stewart (Liberia) by decision, 5-0
• Quarterfinals: Defeated Mahjoub Mjirich (Morocco) referee stopped contest in third round
• Semifinal: Lost to Ivailo Khristov (Bulgaria) by decision, 0-5 (was awarded bronze medal)

Serantes was assured of an $18,500 bonus from a group of Filipino businessmen following his bronze win.^[5]

Later life

Serantes suffered from a long history of pulmonary illness later in life. In January 2021, he was reportedly placed under intensive care at the Philippine Veterans Hospital due to a serious pulmonary and heart condition.^[7] Bounty Agro Ventures committed to give Serantes a monthly allowance of ₱100,000 for life to help pay his medical bills and needs.^[8]

Serantes died on September 1, 2021, at the age of 59 due to complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.^[9][10]

References

1. Siddayao, Antonio M. (September 30, 1988). "End of a Dream". Manila Standard. Manila Standard News, Inc. p. 32. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
2. Olympic Movement's results database
3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. . Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
4. "GA raises Serrantes' incentive". Manila Standard. Manila Standard News, Inc. September 30, 1988. p. 30. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
5. "Mayor Prevents Eviction Of Olympic Medal-Winning Boxer's Family". Associated Press. September 28, 1988. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
6. Clarito, Ariel Ian (August 19, 2021). "Leopoldo Serantes: The almost forgotten Olympic hero". Rappler. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
7. "Olympic hero Leopoldo Serantes in ICU due to pulmonary, heart ailment". Spin.ph. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
8. Lozada, Bong (August 18, 2021). "1988 Olympic medalist Leopoldo Serantes gets financial assistance". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
9. "Olympic boxing medalist Leopoldo Serantes dies". Rappler. September 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
10. "Seoul Games bronze medalist Serantes, 59, passes away". Tiebreaker Times. September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.