SEOUL Olympic Games bronze medalist Leopoldo Serantes has died. He was 59.
Mr. Serantes, who fought in the light flyweight division, passed away on Wednesday after a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Apart from winning an Olympic bronze medal in 1988, he also won gold medals in the 1985 and 1987 Southeast Asian Games. He was the first boxer to give the Philippines a medal in the Olympics after Anthony Villanueva (silver) in 1964.
After his medal conquest, the country brought home boxing medals in the next two Olympiads courtesy of Roel Velasco (bronze, 1992) and Mansueto Velasco (silver, 1996).
Prior to his death, he was inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame, albeit was not able to attend the virtual online ceremony.
Recently, to help him in his medical expenses, rotisserie company Chooks-to-Go pledged to give Mr. Serantes a monthly allowance of P100,000 to honor his service to the country.
Mr. Serantes is survived by seven children and 24 grandchildren. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
