Rolando Bohol: The Unsung Filipino Boxing Sensation
Rolando Bohol (born December 25, 1965) is a Filipino former flyweight and super flyweight boxer. He boxed professionally from 1984 to 1994 and won the IBF flyweight title in 1988.
IBF flyweight champion
On January 16, 1988, Bohol defeated Chang Ho Choi by split decision over fifteen rounds in Manila to win the IBF flyweight championship. He defended the belt against Cho-Woon Park on May 6, then lost it to Duke McKenzie by 11th-round stoppage in London on October 5.
Bohol later won the OPBF super flyweight title and challenged for the IBF bantamweight title before retiring in 1994. PhilBoxing reports his final professional record as 34 wins, 15 losses and three draws.
His championship victory followed a busy development period in the Philippines. Bohol drew with Bert Baco in his January 1984 debut, then remained unbeaten through his first fifteen contests. Frequent appearances at the Elorde Sports Complex gave him rounds against domestic opposition before overseas assignments became part of his schedule.
Following the McKenzie defeat, Bohol moved into regional championship competition at super flyweight. He stopped Maphai Narachawat in six rounds in April 1989 to win the OPBF title, then defended it against Jong Kwan Chung by majority decision in August. Tatsuya Sugi ended that reign with a split-decision victory in Japan later the same year.
Bohol’s later career included a decision victory over Dodie Boy Peñalosa in 1992 and an unsuccessful challenge to Orlando Canizales for the IBF bantamweight belt in June 1994. The Canizales bout ended in the fifth round. These contests connect his flyweight championship years with subsequent work against established opponents in heavier divisions, showing the breadth of a decade-long professional career.
Sources
- The Ring, “Rolando Bohol: Best I Faced”
- BoxRec, IBF flyweight title-fight history
- PhilBoxing, Rolando Bohol career profile
Career records and reporting: boxrec.com.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
