‘My last fight is the toughest fight’: 25-yr-old boxer from Mt. Province wins WBC Australasia Minimum Weight Title

Sadanga, Mountain Province – A 25-year-old boxer from Saclit, Sadanga, Mountain Province  has achieved a major career breakthrough after winning the World Boxing Council (WBC) Australia Minimumweight Title on April 11 in Melbourne, Australia.

The WBC is one of the major global boxing governing bodies that organizes championship titles and rankings worldwide. Under its structure, it has regional affiliates and title divisions such as Asia, Europe, and Oceania/Australia that help manage local rankings and title fights.

The emerging boxer

Renden Gongran Oppas is an emerging Filipino professional boxer from Baguio City competing in the minimumweight division, with a growing record of victories—many of them by knockout.

He has consecutively competed in Thailand, earning wins over fighters such as Ne Lin Aung, Naruebet Konnuam, and Wachirawit Sanpakorn. His bouts in Bangkok and other international events highlight his strong presence in the Southeast Asian boxing scene.

In an interview with GURU Press Cordillera, the Igorot boxer shared that he is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Criminology at the University of Baguio. He recalled starting his boxing journey in high school, where he competed in district and provincial meets in Mountain Province.

When he moved to La Trinidad for senior high school, he met Coach Nathan Bolcio, who helped him further develop his skills. Since then, he has continued training and competing.

“…residing in La Trinidad Benguet and a graduate of BSCRIM in UB. I started way back my highschool days competing in boxing during District and Provincial meet. I continued my boxing career when I met my Coach Nathan Bolcio,” he said.

His boxing journey

Despite the pride he takes in representing the Philippines and showcasing his talent on bigger stages, Oppas shared that one of the biggest challenges in his career has been balancing the demands of intense training with maintaining strong academic performance.

He described his most recent fight as the toughest of his career—not only because of his opponent, but also due to the environment he had to overcome. Fighting as the B-side boxer, he faced the disadvantage of being the underdog, without the support of the hometown crowd.

“The biggest challenge was during the times when I needed to do my best in training and maintaining my academic performance at the same time… it feels good and I'm proud to represent the country and excel. My last fight is the toughest fight in my career where there were three opponents I needed to handle; the hometown fighter, the judges and the referee— as I was the B side fighter,” he said.

When asked about his goals, Oppas said that after winning the WBC title, he plans to immediately return to training camp to prepare for future fights and title defenses. He also encouraged young Filipino athletes to stay hopeful, work hard, pray, and always be ready for opportunities.