Boxers brace for lion’s share in final

BACOLOD CITY — In a masterful display of superiority, 12 Filipino boxers go for gold in 14 men and ladies finals of the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games at the University of St. La Salle gym here tonight.

Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president Manny Lopez said he’s not discounting a sweep but the threat of Thailand spoiling the party is a clear and present danger.

Thailand sent six fighters in the men’s finals and four of them will face Filipinos. There are two Thais squaring off in the five ladies finals and one is up against a Filipina.

Lopez said the Philippines is on track to reestablish its boxing dominance in the region. In the last five SEA Games, the Philippines averaged only a single gold medal after harvesting eight when it hosted the 11-nation conclave in 1991.

ABAP secretary-general Roger Fortaleza said the juggernaut is a result of a painstaking campaign to bring back the glory days of Philippine amateur boxing. In Vietnam two years ago, only lightflyweight Harry Tañamor hit paydirt.

Tanamor, 28, is in line for another SEA Games gold as he takes on Kyaw Swan Aung of Myanmar in the finals. Last night, Tañamor ousted Zamzadi Azizi Bin Mohammed of Malaysia via a stoppage in the third round and Kyaw outpointed Ricardo Butar-Butar of Indonesia, 28-20, in a pair of semifinal bouts to arrange their championship showdown.

Other Filipinos gunning for gold are pinweight Juanito Magliquian who battles Zaw Muo Min of Myanmar, bantamweight Joan Tipon who meets Tangtong Klongjan of Thailand, featherweight Joegen Ladon who tangles with Worpaoj Petchkhum of Thailand, lightweight Genebert Basadre who faces Niftah Rifai Lubis of Indonesia, lightwelterweight Romeo Brin who squares off with Pichai Sayota of Thailand, welterweight Mark Jason Melligen who tackles Manon Boonjumnong of Thailand and middleweight Reynaldo Galido who takes on Suriya Prasathinphimai of Thailand.

Flyweight Warlito Parenas was the only Filipino who failed to advance to the finals. Somjit Jongjohor of Thailand meets Tran Quoc Viet of Vietnam for the flyweight gold.

Thailand coach Jorge Hernandez, a Cuban who won the lightflyweight gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, predicted six golds for his protégés, meaning a sweep. He singled out Pechai, the lightweight gold medalist in Vietnam two years ago, as the most outstanding fighter in the Thai team because of his intelligence and polished skills.

Aside from Pechai, the other Thai gold prospects are Worapoj who won a silver medal at the Athens Olympics, Suriya who took the bronze in Athens and Somjit and Boonjumnong who both won gold medals in the last two SEA Games.

In the ladies division, four Filipinas will try to strike gold. Pinweight Alice Kate Aparri, flyweight Annie Albania, bantamweight Jouvilet Chelim and lightweight Michelle Martinez are in the finals.

Aparri takes on Kyu Ku Thin of Myanmar. Albania battles Vu Thi Hai Yen of Vietnam. Chelim faces Ta Tai Minhnghva of Vietnam. And Martinez meets Katree Kruake of Thailand. The only Filipina casualty was lightflyweight Analiza Cruz. Lisanakron Thawi of Thailand and Naw Mu Chay of Myanmar will dispute the gold in the lightflyweight division.

Lopez shrugged off unconfirmed rumors that some losers are complaining of rigged decisions.

"I dare them to file a protest," said Lopez. "The results are fair and square. Our Filipino fighters worked hard to win and they deserve the respect of everyone. No one can complain because all the fights are televised."

There are 21 referees and judges assigned in the competitions. Five are from the Philippines but none is assigned to work a fight involving a Filipino.

The other arbiters are from Pakistan, China, Japan, Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos.

In last night’s fights, Tipon impressed the crowd by cruising to a 24-5 decision over Sayyalar Chathasone of Laos. Melligen was also impressive in halting Min Saiheng of Cambodia in the second round.