New role for Lopez

Former Philippine Sports Commission chairman and Manila Mayor Mel Lopez is in Athens taking care of the four-man boxing team and acting as spokesman for the fighters.

It’s a new role for Lopez who was Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president before his son Manny took over. Lopez was an International Amateur Boxing Federation (AIBA) executive committee member until he declined to run for a third term in 1998 to protest corruption in the sport.

Manny is now the Federation of Asian Amateur Boxing (FAAB) secretary-general and holds an influential position as a member of the powerful jury in the Olympics.

The division of labor is a perfect situation for father and son. Lopez can concentrate on the campaign for gold in the ring while his son attends to what must be done politically outside the ring.

Since taking control of the ABAP from late predecessors Eugenio Puyat and Nemesio Yabut, Lopez’s consuming passion has been to develop a fighter to strike gold in the Olympics. He has invested a tidy sum from his personal bank account to pursue the mission.

Lopez was responsible for delivering the country’s last three Olympic medals–from Leopoldo Serrantes’ bronze in 1988 to Roel Velasco’s bronze in 1992 to Mansueto (Onyok) Velasco’s silver in 1996.

The dream to hit paydirt has been elusive. But Lopez and his son aren’t giving up.

Only two Filipino boxers are left standing in Athens.

Lightflyweight Harry Tanamor made his Olympic debut against Tajikistan’s Sherali Dostiev last night (this morning, Manila).

Lightwelterweight Romeo Brin takes on 2003 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist Manus Boonjumnong of Thailand tonight (tomorrow morning, Manila) in his second elimination bout.

There’s no more fascinating story than Brin’s remarkable showing so far in Athens.

Even CNN broadcast his victory over Sweden’s Patrick Bogere last Sunday.

That’s because nobody expected Brin to even make it to Athens.

Brin, 31, was stricken out of the national pool after the 2002 Busan Asian Games where he outpointed Bayanjargal Bayanmunkh of Mongolia, 20-16, then lost a 31-15 decision to Asghar Ali Singh of Pakistan in the quarterfinals.

He turned to coaching in Puerto Princesa, hometown of his wife Ofelia, an elementary school teacher, after retiring from competition.

Last year, Brin was in Manila to attend a boxing seminar conducted by Cuban guru Dr. Alcides Sagarra–not as a boxer but as a coach.

In a twist of fate, the first Asian qualifying competition for Athens was scheduled in Puerto Princesa last January.

Three days before the start of hostilities, Filipino hopeful Mark Jason Melligen pulled out because of the flu.

Lopez looked for an immediate replacement and Brin, who happens to live in the Palawan capital, was available.

With a borrowed uniform, Brin took Melligen’s slot in the lightwelterweight division.

He had to shed three kilos in three days to make the 141-pound limit.

His pregnant wife and their 7-year-old Junior didn’t know what to expect.

They were anxious.

So was Brin.

But in a whirlwind performance, Brin went all the way to the top, ousting in the process Boonjumnong, Nurzhan Kazimzhakov of Kazakhstan, Reza Ghazemozanolya of Iran and Dilshod Mahmunov of Uzbekistan.

What made the triumph more incredible was Brin beat Mahmunov, 32-28, in the finals despite an injured left shoulder.

In his third Olympics, Brin finally booked a win at Bogere’s expense.

Could it be a portent of things to come?

At the 1996 Atlanta Games, Brin was scuttled in his first outing, dropping a 24-13 verdict to Julio Gonzalez Valiadores of Cuba.

His exit was as unceremonious at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he lost an 8-5 yawner to Sergei Bykovski of Bulgaria in the first preliminary.

A devout Seventh Day Adventist, Brin was as luckless in three Asian Games stints.

At the Hiroshima Games in 1994, he was a win shy of capturing a bronze, bowing to Chaleo Somwong of Thailand in the quarterfinals.

Brin squandered a four-point lead entering the final round and lost a disputed 16-12 decision.

At the Bangkok Asiad in 1998, he beat Mahmoud Saloum of Syria then was eliminated by Nurzhan Smanov of Kazakhstan to once more finish a win away from a bronze.

In Busan two years ago, the finish was the same for the Army staff sergeant from Taytay, Rizal.

Brin, who bagged a gold at the Brunei SEA Games in 1999 and a bronze at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in 2001, began joining simon-pure boxing competitions when he was 14.

That was 17 years ago.

His dream has always been to win an Olympic medal.

In Athens, the fighter nicknamed

"Ace" has the chance to earn a fortune of a lifetime.

Brin said he’s dedicating his Olympic stint to his parents whom he calls his idols.

His father Ramon and mother Rufina are in the upholstery business and they’ve been his biggest fans.

Boonjumnong, 24, is no slouch even if he lost to Brin in Puerto Princesa.

He crushed Melligen, 16-7, to clinch the SEA Games gold medal in the lightwelterweight class in Vietnam last December.

At the World Championships in Bangkok last year, Boonjumnong pocketed a bronze after decisioning Bayanmunkh, 22-10, Karimzhanov, 21-11, Dimitar Stilianov of Bulgaria, 19-11, and losing a 34-16 verdict to Aleksandr Maletin of Russia in the semifinals.

If Brin overcomes Boonjumnong, he will face the winner of the match between Maletin and world champion Willy Blain of France in the quarterfinals.

It will take three wins to clinch a bronze and five to claim the gold.