Zambales, who has yet to throw a single punch, gained entry into the featherweight final on a walkover win over Laos’ Tanovanh Nilonedone. The Palawan native earlier gained outright shot at the final by drawing first-round bye.
The two other Filipino fighters, who climbed the ring on the second and final day of the semifinal, went back to their quarters vanquished, settling for the bronze like lightweight Larry Semillano, welterweight Reynaldo Galido and middleweight Maximino Tabangcora on Thursday.
Flyweight Violito Tabangcora, who had a golden moment in an invitational tournament in Cuba early this year, couldn’t duplicate the feat, absorbing a 3-7 loss to Thai defending champion Somjit Jongjohor.
Romeo Brin, on the other hand, relinquished his light welterweight crown as he lost his title rematch with old Thai rival Pongsak Hrianthuanthong, 8-21.
Thus, the 11-man RP Team is down to two men, with the remaining fighters to face Thai rivals in the finals tomorrow. Zambales slugs it out with Sutthisak Samaksaman, also a Brunei gold medallist, while bantamweight Arlan Lerio squares up with Chotipat Wongprates.
It was another heart-rending result for the Philippines, which has been settling for the boxing crumbs in the last three stagings of the biennial meet now.
After an 8-2-2 gold-silver-bronze haul in Manila in 1991 and a 4-4-4 performance in Singapore in 1993, the Filipinos have mired under the shadow of the Thai fighters, producing 1-6-5 in Chiang Mai, 1-4-4 in Jakarta and 2-3-3 in Brunei.
The Philippines will have a worse showing here than in Brunei even if Semillano and Lerio barrel their way to the gold.