At 6’5, Cagayan de Oro’s Markus Tongco could easily be taken as a basketball player. But in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, he will don the country’s colors as a heavyweight boxer (92 kgs). Since only three fighters are entered in the 92-kg heavyweight class, he is assured of a bronze medal. It will be his debut in international boxing and will be the first Filipino in the 92-kg division. Good luck!
According to an article by Quinito Henson, Tongco was initially recruited to play high school and college ball in the UAAP before coming back to his home city to play for Xavier University. When the pandemic came and ballgames were not allowed, he kept himself in shape, did shadowboxing calisthenics. When gyms reopened, he trained at the WLS Gym coincidentally was where the city’s boxing team works out. Eventually, he was invited to try sparring and embraced the discipline of boxing. Read more in the link below.
http://philboxing.com/news/story-166527.html
Tongco is shown below during his courtesy call on City Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy at city hall.
By the way, the city has four bets in boxing in the SEA Games: Olympian Carlo Paalam, Mark Lester Durens, Nick Payla and Tongco.
