Golez stops Korean to advance to final

PYONGYANG, North Korea — Middleweight Maraon Golez yesterday demolished Korean No. 2 O Yong Su right in the first round and emerged as the second Filipino to vie for the gold in the Pyongyang International Boxing Invitational tournament here.

The 21-year-old armyman from Cebu, the least experienced in the seven-man Team Caltex Philippines, swarmed all over the taller Korean right at the opening bell and went on to join light flyweight Harry Tanamor in today’s final bouts.

Golez tangles with the host’s No. 1 Kim Son Kil while Tanamor faces Kim Chol San.

Golez’s first left-right barrage sent his Korean rival reeling back for a standing eight count, a scenario repeated at the one-minute mark of the bout. Twenty-one seconds later, the Korean referee stepped in to stop the bout with the battered O barely on his feet.

Five bouts earlier, flyweight Violito Payla absorbed a 14-12 decision from Sin Kyong Il in another highly-irregularl scored fight that saw the top Korean campaigner in the 51kg class failing to land a punch in the final two rounds of the semifinals bout.

"Inihahandog ko ang panalong ito sa aming boxing president na si Manny Lopez na may kaarawan ngayong Agosto 19, ito ay para rin sa mga kasama ko na nakatanggap ng di malinis na talo," said Golez who will be seeing action in his first-ever International finals.

The team, sent here by Caltex Philippines with support from the PSC, Philippine Sports Commission, Pacific Heights and Revicon, has already five bronze medals in this four-nation, five-team championships which also have the Busan-bound Indian team and the Chinese training team.

Bringing home the bronze are Payla, bantam Ferdie Gamo, featherweight Roel Laguna, lightweight Anthony Igusquiza and light middleweight Christopher Camat.

The team is headed by Felix "Bogie" Apostadero with George Caliwan, Boy Velasco and Pat Gaspi as coaches and Dante de Castro as Referee/judge.