Roel Velasco (born June 26, 1969 in Bago, Negros Occidental) is a retired

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

from the Philippines. He competed in the light flyweight (– 48 kg) division during the late 1980s, early 1990s. He represented his native country of the Philippines at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

in Barcelona, Spain, where he won the bronze medal. In the semi-finals he was stopped by Cuba's eventual winner Rogelio Marcelo. He is the elder brother of

Mansueto Velasco Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco Jr. (born January 10, 1974) is a Filipino retired boxer, comedian and actor from Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines. Competing in the 48 kg category he won a gold medal at the 1994 Asian Games and a silver at th ...

, who won the silver medal at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in the same weight division. Roel won the silver medal at the

1997 World Amateur Boxing Championships The Men's 1997 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Budapest, Hungary from October 18 to October 26. The ninth edition of this competition, a year after the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, was organised by the world governing body ...

. Roel Velasco is the only Filipino to win a medal in the

Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...

by snatching the bronze in the light-flyweight division in boxing in the 1998 New York edition. 1997 was a banner year for Velasco as he added the gold medals in the 1st Muhamad Ali Invitational Boxing Championships in Kentucky, the Italian Boxing Championships and the Roberto Balado Cup in Cuba to his World Championship hardware. Velasco is currently serving with the Philippine Navy with the rank of Petty Officer First Class (P01) while doing double duty as a coach with the Philippine Boxing Team. As a trainer, Roel is known for his way of selecting his pupils. As he welcomes anyone who wants to learn from him. He is also known to have an interest in training inexperienced or slow learners stating that: ''"Kahit na anong hina ng isang boxer basta masipag sa training, siya ay gagaling na pwede pang higitan ang isang boxer na may talento."'' ("Even if a boxer is slow learner, he/she can grow into a strong fighter as long as he/she is dedicated to his/her training and can even surpass the strength of a talented boxer.")

Retirement

Roel retired from boxing around 2001 and he's now currently a boxing trainer to younger boxers who want become the next boxing champion.

Olympic results

*Defeated

James Wanene James Wanene (born 14 August 1961) is a Kenyan boxer. He competed in the men's light flyweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), off ...

(Kenya) 16–1 *Defeated Rajendra Prasad (India) 15–6 *Defeated Rowan Williams (Great Britain) 7–6 *Lost to Rogelio Marcelo (Cuba) RSC 1 (1:36)

References

databaseOlympics.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velasco, Roel 1972 births Living people Olympic boxers of the Philippines Boxers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the Philippines Boxers from Negros Occidental Olympic medalists in boxing Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1998 Asian Games Filipino male boxers AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Goodwill Games medalists in boxing Light-flyweight boxers Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games Philippine Sports Hall of Fame inductees