Barriga bags gold in Tashkent slugfest

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – Light flyweight Mark Anthony Barriga stunned the Sydney Jackson Memorial Tournament here by upsetting hometown bet Shahobiddin Zoirov, 4-1, to capture the gold medal.

The Uzbekistan fighter’s corner had earlier crowed that Barriga, from Davao del Norte, would be mincemeat since Zoirov had competed for Russia during an earlier world class tournament.

But the 17-year-old Barriga, fast on his feet and even faster with his fists, silenced them all, running rings around his more seasoned foe and leaving the judges no choice but to concede to the inevitable.

“Mark utterly frustrated him and forced him to commit mistakes,” said Ed Picson, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines Executive Director.

Former Asian Games gold medalist Joan Tipon, back after recovering from a shoulder injury that forced him into a sabbatical, settled for the silver medal after dropping a close 3-2 decision to Shohruh Hujabekov also of Uzbekistan.

Tipon, 29, from Bacolod City, led 2-0 after the first round but lost steam in the next two rounds. The bell quickly rang after the Uzbek picked up his third point.

“We’re happy with their performance,” said Picson. “We know now where we need to step up and make adjustments. That’s the important thing. The medals are bonuses.”

The Nationals' trip to this ancient city was bankrolled by PLDT with clothing provided by Accel and vitamins by Clusivol.