Leopoldo Serantes (March 15, 1962 – September 1, 2021) was a Filipino

amateur boxer Amateur boxing is a variant of boxing practiced at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as many associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration, comprising three rounds of three ...

and soldier. He competed at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in the Light Flyweight (-48 kg) division, winning the bronze medal in a lost bout against Ivailo Marinov from Bulgaria in the semifinals. Serantes' win marked the first time in 24 years that an athlete from the Philippines won an Olympic medal since boxer

Anthony Villanueva Anthony N. Villanueva (March 18, 1945 – May 13, 2014) was a boxer from the Philippines. He competed in the featherweight (−57 kg) division at the 1964 Olympics and won a silver medal. Shortly after the Olympics he turned professional, but ...

, his head coach, won a silver medal at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

, and he became the sixth Filipino overall to be awarded an Olympic medal.

Career

Serantes was a

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) ( Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...

sergeant when he competed at the 1988 Olympics.

Southeast Asian Games

Bicol native Leopoldo Serantes was a member of the Philippine national boxing team during the 1980s. He is noted for having been the only gold medalist for the Philippines in the 1985 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, defeating Thai boxer Supad Boonrowd in the men's 48kg final. Serantes also successfully defended his title in the 1987 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia, and he was one of two Filipinos who won a gold medal in boxing in that edition of the games.

1988 Olympic results

Below is Serantes' boying competition record in the light flyweight division at the 1988 Seoul Olympics: *Round of 64: Bye *Round of 32: Defeated

Hassan Mustafa Moustafa Esmail (born 23 June 1965) is an Egyptian boxer. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), offici ...

(Egypt) referee stopped contest in the second round *Round of 16: Defeated

Sammy Stewart Samuel Lee Stewart (October 28, 1954 – March 2, 2018) was an American professional baseball player. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1978 to 1987. Stewart had the best earned run average (ERA) in the American League (AL) in 1981 ...

(Liberia) by decision, 5-0 *Quarterfinals: Defeated

Mahjoub Mjirich Mahjoub M'jirih (born 1960) is a Moroccan boxer. He competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko ...

(Morocco) referee stopped contest in third round *Semifinal: Lost to

Ivailo Khristov Ivailo Marinov ( bg, Ивайло Маринов; born 13 July 1960 in Varna, also known as Ismail Mustafov, Ismail Huseinov or Ivailo Khristov) is a Bulgarian boxer of Muslim Romani ancestry, who won the bronze medal at the 198 ...

(Bulgaria) by decision, 0-5 (was awarded bronze medal) Serantes was assured of an $18,500 bonus from a group of Filipino businessmen following his bronze win.

Later life

Serantes suffered from a long history of pulmonary illness later in life. In January 2021, he was reportedly placed under intensive care at the Philippine Veterans Hospital due to a serious pulmonary and heart condition.

Bounty Agro Ventures Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. (BAVI), also known as Bounty is a poultry company based in Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines. As the main company of the Bounty Fresh Group of Companies, it manages roast chicken retail chains Chooks-to-Go and Uling Roa ...

committed to give Serantes a monthly allowance of for life to help pay his medical bills and needs. Serantes died on September 1, 2021, at the age of 59 due to complications of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serantes, Leopoldo 1962 births 2021 deaths Deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Respiratory disease deaths in the Philippines Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Boxers at the 1982 Asian Games Boxers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Competitors at the 1985 SEA Games Filipino male boxers Philippine Army personnel Light-flyweight boxers Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for the Philippines Olympic bronze medalists for the Philippines Olympic medalists in boxing SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines SEA Games medalists in boxing Philippine Sports Hall of Fame inductees