Four more pugs enter medal round

NAKHON RATCHASIMA – Four other RP pugs made the medal round even as welterweight Wilfredo Lopez became the second Filipino casualty, knocked out in the first round by a celebrated hometown bet.

Flyweight Alice Kate Aparri proved too flashy and classy for Myanmar’s Mu Chay Naw in a 9-3 victory starting the RP blitzkrieg stopped late in the afternoon by Non Boonjomnong’s first-round stoppage of Lopez.

Light flyweight Albert Pabila, bantamweight Junel Cantancio and lightweight Joegin Ladon took the cue from Aparri, joining eight other Filipinos in the semifinal round.

Pabila advanced to the semis against a Thai boxer.

The Philippines went one-of-four on opening day with neophyte Josie Gabunco losing to Vietnamese Yen Vu Thi Hai in their pinweight quarterfinals bout.

Pabila figured in a virtual brawl with Myanmar’s Swar Aung Kyaw, winning by four, 19-15; Cantancio outclassed another Myanmar bet Htaik Than, 29-14; and Ladon battered Cambodian Syay Ratha Pichai, 22-5.

But one Filipino went down, literally, with Lopez sent to the canvas by Boon-jomnong with a thunderous right cross.

Gravely shaken, Lopez stayed on the canvas long after the referee had waved him out just two minutes into the first round.

Lopez actually had a good start even enjoying a 3-2 lead early on over Boonjumnong, silver medallist in the recent World Boxing Championships in Chicago.

The Filipino was aggressive but seemed to have spent himself early, becoming easy prey for the Thai.

It was the first Filipino-Thai confrontation in the SEAG slugfest where the hosts are fancied to win the men’s championship and the Philippines tipped to retain the crown in the distaff side.

“We can do it. We outperformed them in the last Asian championships,” said Mitchell Martinez, referring to their haul of two golds and one silver in the recent Vietnam Asian women’s slugfest. – Nelson Beltran