Tañamor humbles Cuban, cops gold

Harry Tañamor used his speed to outbox Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Yampier Hernandez Gonzales of Cuba, 15-7, and capture the gold medal in the light flyweight division of the AIBA World Cup at the Ice Palace Megasport in Moscow, Russia Sunday night.

Tañamor proved quicker than the reigning Pan American champion, brandishing the same tactics he used in disposing of Lukasz Masczczyk of Poland, 12-4, in the semifinals to fashion out the victory worth $10,000.

The win somehow made up for Tañamor’s disappointing stint in the last Olympics where the veteran RP campaigner, a silver medalist in last year’s World Championship in Chicago, was booted out by an unknown foe from Ghana right in the first round of the 48-kg division.

But Tañamor worked his way back to top form and proved that at 31, he remained a force to reckon with, cashing in on a favorable draw to gain a crack at the gold medal in the event which gathered eight of the top fighters in the world in each weight division.

“I’m elated to have won this title, it means a lot to me,” Tañamor told aiba.org. “I think I may have caught Cuba on a bad day but I also had to perform well.”

Tañamor’s win was all the more significant as Cuba, shut out for the gold medal in the last Beijing Games, won six of the 11 gold medals disputed while host nation Russia won 3.

“It’s really a welcome news for Philippine boxing,” said outgoing boxing president Manny Lopez.

The 30-year-old Gonzales came into the finals oozing with confidence following a 13-3 rout of Birhan Zakhypov of Kazakhstan, 13-3.

But Tañamor proved the superior fighter.

Tañamor came out smoking in their four-round duel, hitting Gonzales early on with a flurry of punches then evading the Cuban’s counterattacks with efficient footwork.