Basadre, Fiel also fall in Asian elims

BANGKOK – Genebert Basadre took another beating from Doha Asian Games gold medallist Hu Qing of China, 10-22, while Adam Fiel crashed out in the second round Sunday as the RP PLDT Smart boxing team’s chances for Olympic berths dimmed by the day in the first AIBA Asian Boxing Olympic Qualifying tournament at the Dhurakij Punjit University here.

Basadre veered away from the gameplan of battling it out at close range and going for the body and paid dearly for it as the Chinese simply used his height and reach advantage to get past the Filipino bet and into the quarterfinal round of the lightweight class.

“Ang plano pagsuntok dapat papunta sa loob ang ilag pero siya sa labas kaya inaabot siya kasi nga masyadong mahaba ang kamay ng kalaban (Our plan was to have him fight at close range and dodge inside. But he opted to back off, so he gets hit since his rival has longer reach),” said coach Pat Gaspi.

Late in the night, Fiel lost to Tubshinbat Byamba of Mongolia in a lightwelterweight bout stopped in the second round after a nose injury suffered by the Filipino.

The Mongolian was way ahead, 25-8, when the referee stopped the contest.

Giving away two inches in height, Basadre tried to press Hu in the early goings with his 1-2 combinations, keeping the fight close at 5-9 halfway through their four-round encounter despite the Chinese advantage.

But Hu, flashing superb footwork, scored with jabs and left straights and raced away to an 18-7 lead after three rounds that saw the two fighters wrestle on at least two occasions.

 Basadre, 23, launched a make-or-break bid in the fourth but instead got tagged by the Chinese, who also proved to be an elusive target.

“Masyadong matangkad at mailap. Nakakapagod (He’s too tall and elusive. I got tired),” said Basadre, who also absorbed an 18-29 beating from Hu in their semifinal encounter in the Doha Asiad.

The loss was the  fourth in the five-man RP PLDT Smart team roster, leaving bantam Joan Tipon to carry the cudgels for the embattled squad which came here with high hopes of clinching two berths in the Beijing Olympics in August.

Tipon tries to make it two in a row against Pakistan’s Mukamamad Alid Monday.

Flyweight Violito Payla, an Asian Games gold medal winner in Doha, and featherweight Orlando Tacuyan Jr. took early exits Saturday and with Basadre and Fiel joining them on the sidelines, doubts have been cast on the team’s ability to send more fighters to the Beijing Games.

Only lightfly Harry Tañamor has a ticket to the Olympics after winning the silver medal in the World Championships in Chicago last November.

Boxing chief Manny Lopez said a review of the program will be done upon their return to Manila.