Tañamor’s path to final could start with a stroll

BEIJING – Lightflyweight boxing champion Harry Tañamor has drawn a light assignment in the first round, is tipped to breeze past whatever opponent he faces in the next but will need all the guts he has in reserve in the last three rounds to win a medal and enjoy his 31st birthday in the Olympic Games.

Tañamor drew African champion Many Plange of Ghana in the round of 32 of the lightflyweight (48kg) category on Aug. 13 at the Workers’ Gymnasium near the National Stadium.

Ranked 33rd in the world championships and on his first appearance in the Olympics, the top-ranked 20-year-old African boxer will have to depend on his youth to pull off a first round shocker over Tañamor, who turns 31 on Aug. 20.

Tañamor, bidding for a medal after failing to reach the quarterfinals in the Athens Olympics, is expected to draw from his vast experience which includes a gold medal in the Asian Championships in Ho Chi Minh City in 2005 and a silver medal finish in the tough 2007 World Championships where he earned the only boxing slot for the Philippines.

If he wins, the Zamboanga native steps into the round of 16 against another relatively light assignment – either Bouchtouk Redouane  of Morocco or Paulo Carvalho of Brazil.

The quarterfinal round, however, will be the toughest for the Filipino boxer. He will fight either Cuban Yampier Hernandez or fancied American Luis Yanez or even Russian David Ayrapetyan.

“I don’t mind whom I am going to fight,” said Tañamor, who is tapering off after an intensive training in Baguio under Cuban coaches Juan Enriquez Steyners and Badoberto Rojas Scott.

“I came here well prepared for any opponent. I am very motivated – not by the financial incentives I may receive for a gold – but for the honor this will bring me and my country.”

“Harry has the skills and the power, he has the strength to beat any opponent in the Olympics. He trained hard. I did all I can. Now, it’s up to him,” said Steyners.

With a quarterfinal victory on Aug. 19, Tañamor may not relax and celebrate his birthday. He will have to focus on his next big fight – probably against Thailand champion Amnat Ruenrong in the semifinals on Aug. 22.

“A win over the Thai could be a good gift on my birthday,” said Tañamor, who said he is not too old to continue fighting after the Olympics.

A victory over the Thai will take him to the finals, a place only two Filipino Olympians reached – Onyok Velasco in 1996 and Anthony Villanueva in 1964.

His quest for Olympic fame could be at the expense of the fighter he feared most – hometown idol and tournament favorite Zhou Shiming of China, who defeated him for the crown in the 2007 world championships.

Chinese team leader Cui Fuguo said he is not quite satisfied with the draw but reaffirmed that Zhou will have a big chance to win the gold medal.

“His draw is not bad. The strong opponents from Cuba, Russia, Philippines, Mongolia and USA are all in the later bouts. He has the largest possibility to win in Chinese team,” said Guo.