Roel Velasco: Filipino Olympic Boxing Bronze Medalist
Roel Velasco is a Filipino former amateur boxer from Bago, Negros Occidental, whose career included an Olympic medal and a later role in national coaching. He boxed in the light-flyweight division and became a member of the Philippine men’s boxing team in 1988.
Olympic and international results
Velasco won gold at the 1992 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok, then earned bronze at the Barcelona Olympics. He advanced to the semifinal, where Cuba’s Rogelio Marcelo stopped him; Olympic boxing awards bronze to both semifinal losers. The Olympedia results document his Olympic campaign.
His amateur achievements also included silver at the 1997 World Championships in Budapest and bronze at the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York. The Philippine Sports Commission profile lists those medals and his 1989 Southeast Asian Games bronze.
Coaching and recognition
Velasco retired as a national athlete in 1999 and joined the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines coaching staff in 2001. He was inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame in 2021. His younger brother, Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, won Olympic silver in the same division at Atlanta 1996.
Sources
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
