Payla reaches quarters; Frances assured of bronze

DOHA — What he lacked in height, Violito Payla made up with speed and style as he outclassed Omran Akbari of Iran, 33-13, yesterday in an auspicious start for the RP boxing team in the Asian Games at the Aspire Hall 5 in Sports City here.

Eluding the long arms of Akbari with his quickness and connecting with 1-2 combinations, the left-handed Payla dominated the first round of the two-minute, four-round bout and went on to fashion out the easy victory in the flyweight division.

Payla, a power-punching veteran campaigner, seeks a spot in the medal round against Vietnamese Viet Quoc Tran, who whipped Othman Arbabi of the host team via a 28-8 rout in the other 51-kg contest.

Anthony Marcial was to meet Sathit Inhta Keo of Laos late in the afternoon, also eyeing a victory and a spot in the last 8 of the featherweight category.

But it was Joven Frances, who proved to be the luckiest among the crack seven-member boxing squad in the draw as he drew a bye in the quarterfinal round of the welterweight division to assure himself of at least a bronze medal.

No RP bet will see action in today’s long line of bouts with Godfrey Castro, who gained a berth here after Harry Tanamor was booted out of the team for breach of discipline, out to prove his worth as he clashes with Malaysia Azizi Zamzai Mohamad on Monday.

A victory will give Castro, who also beat Tanamor in a boxoff before the team left last week, a passage to the semifinal round of the 48kg division.

Joan Tipon, whose power and skill made him one of the team’s fancied bets, also sets out for a berth in the semis as he battles tough Taiwanese Liu Shih Jung in one of the featured matches in the bantamweight class.

Genebert Basadre, on the other hand, faces Pakistan’s Ali Asghar Shah in the quarterfinal round of the lightweight category. – Dante Navarro