That’s what the Philippine boxing team has minted in the last three Asian Games.
In Hiroshima eight years ago, the Philippines lorded it over the boxing joust. Lightflyweight Onyok Velasco, flyweight Elias Recaido, and lightwelterweight Reynaldo Galido brought home a gold apiece. Bantamweight Anthony Igusquiza and featherweight Eric Canoy each bagged a bronze.
The Filipinos were so dominant in Hiroshima that they swept their first seven assignments before suffering a loss. The streak ended when lightweight Romeo Brin dropped a disputed 16-12 decision to Chaleo Somwong of Thailand despite a four-point lead entering the final round.
Seven fighters were on the squad that year–Velasco, Recaido, Galido, Igusquiza, Canoy, Brin, and welterweight Arlo Chavez. Five delivered medals in the rich harvest. No other country had more than two gold medals. Uzbekistan, South Korea, and Kazakhstan produced two golds each. Thailand, Japan, and Iran claimed a lone gold apiece.
In Bangkok four years later, the Philippines dispatched another version of the Magnificent 7. Alas, the fighters didn’t turn out to be too magnificent in the end as only Canoy claimed a medal, a bronze. The squad was made up of lightflyweight Roel Velasco (who took a bronze at the 1992 Olympics), flyweight Arlan Lerio, bantamweight Rico Moreno, Canoy, lightweight Joel Barriga, Galido, and Brin.
Among the Filipinos, only Canoy made it to the semifinals. Lerio and Velasco failed to win a single bout. No Filipino, except Canoy, won more than once. The Philippines’ final tally was six wins, seven losses.
Thailand zoomed to the top of the charts as Cuban coach Juan Fontanills steered the Thais to five golds and two bronzes. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan got three apiece. India was the only other country to hit paydirt. Chinese-Indian mestizo Ng Pinko Singh of India stopped Temur Tulyakov of Uzbekistan to capture the flyweight gold. Pakistan, where International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) president Anwar Chowdry is from, snatched a silver in the heavyweight class.
In Busan, Pakistan emerged as a leading Asian boxing power, courtesy of Chowdry’s puppets–the referees and judges who preside in every bout. Pakistan sent four fighters to the finals but only Mehrullah, a featherweight, clinched a gold–the country’s only glitter in the Asiad.
In all, Pakistan took a gold, six silvers, and six bronzes in Busan–boxing accounted for five of the 13 medals. Chowdry assured himself a place in Pakistan’s roster of national heroes.
Uzbekistan displaced Thailand as Asia’s No. 1 gold miner with five boxing champions. South Korea took three silvers, a far cry from the 12 it swept as host of the 1986 Asiad in Seoul, but still a huge haul owing to the dreaded hometown advantage. Pakistan and Thailand, with new Cuban coach Ismael Salas at the helm, snagged a gold each.
The Philippines sent eight fighters–lightflyweight Harry Tanamor, flyweight Violito Payla, bantamweight Ferdie Gamo, featherweight Roel Laguna, lightweight Igusquiza, lightwelterweight Brin, lightmiddleweight Chris Camat, and middleweight Maraon Goles–to Busan.
As in Bangkok, only one Filipino qualified for the semis–Tanamor who went all the way to the finals only to lose a 24-19 decision to Kim Ki Suk of South Korea.
Four Filipinos didn’t win a single bout. They were Gamo, Laguna, Camat, and Goles. Three probably didn’t deserve to lose. Gamo lost an 11-10 heartbreaker to Bekzod Khidirov of Uzbekistan. Laguna was outpointed by Thai Sutthisak Samaksaman on an 18-11 count. Camat was beaten by Kashif Mumtaz of Paksitan also via an 18-11 decision. The margins reflected a suspcious bias–the judges appeared to deliberately pad the leads to avoid explaining close decisions. Who will protest a seven-point margin of difference? Goles was the only clear loser as he was halted by Ahmed Ali Khan of Pakistan in the first round.
Four Pakistanis were responsible for repulsing Filipinos–Nouman Karim disposed of Payla, Asghar Ali Singh eliminated Brin, Mumtaz spoiled Camat’s debut, and Khan blasted Goles into submission.
In sum, the Filipinos won seven and lost eight.
Tanamor’s trip to the finals was a welcome surprise after a shutout in Bangkok. The silver was an improvement over Canoy’s bronze four years ago.
But the Philippines was far from even close to duplicating the Hiroshima feat of ’94.