7 pugs in semis augurs well for RP gold quest

HO CHI MINH (Via Globe Telecom)– Light flyweight Harry Tañamor and bantamweight Joan Tipon scored contrasting victories over separate foes late Friday to join five other RP boxers in the semifinals of the Southeast Asian Games at the Phan Ding Pung Hall here.

Tañamor, as expected, outclassed Malaysia’s Zamzai Azizi Bin Mohamad in three rounds while Tipon pounded his way to a 15-9 decision over Chantasone Xayyalak of Laos to book their places in the semifinals, which started last night.

They joined pinweight Juanito Magliquian, featherweight Roel Laguna, light welterweight Mark Jason Melligen, lightweight Florencio Ferrer and middleweight Christopher Camat in their quests for gold medals here.

"We have seven boxing semifinalists, which bodes well in our bid to improve on our finish in Kuala Lumpur two years ago. Let’s all pray that they all make it to the finals," said boxing president Manny Lopez, who is determined to wipe out the memory of the Filipinos’ gold shutout in KL.

Magliquian, Laguna, Melligen and Camat were scheduled to fight Sunday, with Camat drawing the toughest assignment against defending SEAG champion Sonchai Chimlun of Thailand in the middleweight division.

"All I can do is do my best. I’m ready to go all out," said Camat, who is bidding for his first gold in overseas competition since joining the national team three years ago.

Magliquian, the most senior RP fighter at 30, and rookie Laguna were to face Vietnam’s Le Van Tri and Nguyen Trung Kien, respectively, while Melligen was up against Myanmar’s Aung Thu Ya.

Tañamor was never threatened by his Malaysian foe. He was in complete control of the fight from start to finish. But Melligen had to weather a late rally by the Laotian before pulling through.

In today’s light fly semis Tañamor meets Thai nemesis Suban Phanom, the defending SEAG titlist whom he had already beaten in the world championship in Bangkok last August.

Phanom overpowered Myanmar’s Nein Aung in the quarterfinals.