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

in Seoul, South Korea in the Light Flyweight (-48 kg) division, winning the bronze medal in a lost bout against

Ivailo Marinov 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 ...

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, 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 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 The 1985 Southeast Asian Games ( th, กีฬาแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ 1985, Kila haeng echeiy tawan oak cheing tai 1985), officially known as the 13th Southeast Asian Games, was a Southe ...

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 The 1987 Southeast Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia Tenggara 1987), officially known as the 14th Southeast Asian Games, was a multi-sport event held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 9 to 20 September 1987 with 30 sports featured in the games. T ...

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 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.

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