'Shining Light' of PHL boxing wins world championship in Italy

Dubbed the "Shining Light" of Philippine boxing, Charly Suarez of Davao City bagged his second winin the World Series of Boxing when he defeated his opponent in a close match on January 12.

Suarez fought toe-to-toe with Anvar Yunusov of Tajikistan in the Lightweight division of the WSB held at the Mediolanum Forum Stadium in Milan, Italy, according to a news release of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The fifth seed Suarez slightly edged out his opponent after two judges scored the match even for both boxers with the third judge awarding his scorecard and ultimately the bout to Suarez.

Suarez was considered to be one of the most promising young boxers in the Philippines, according to the Examiner news site.

Two years before the 2012 London Olympics, Suarez, then 22 years old, was referred to as the “shining light” by Ed Picson, Executive Director of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines.

He boxes for the Italia Thunder team and is its only member of Filipino nationality and decent.

His opponent in the recent boxing world series in Italy, Yunusov, is a bronze medalist from 2011's WBS and a member of the USA Knockouts team.

Suarez, on the other hand, is a Silver medalist in the 2012 Asian Olympic qualifiers and 2011 President's Cup.

Potential 2012 Olympic bet

Suarez first gained international recognition when he won the 2009 AINA World Championships in Milan, Italy.

This successful boxing campaign even led to Suarez being an endorser for G4S , one of the top security agencies in the world.

He started his boxing career as a member of the Barangay Una Boxing Team and eventually made it to the Philippine training pool and is now making a name for himself overseas. - VVP, GMA News