Suarez flusters foe in upset

MILAN – Unheralded featherweight Charly Suarez used a swarming two-fisted attack to eliminate Romania’s Julian Stan on points, 18-8, in a gutsy win that proved height isn’t might in boxing at the 15th AIBA World Championships in the Mediolanum Forum here last Thursday.

Suarez, who stood at least three inches shorter than Stan, was down, 0-1 and 1-2, but never looked back after seizing the lead, 3-2, midway the first round. Stan couldn’t get untracked as Suarez, a discovery from Rep. Tony Boy Floirendo’s stable in Panabo City, was the aggressor from the start.

What made Suarez’ first outing here more impressive was his air-tight defense. Stan couldn’t find the distance to establish control of the fight as Suarez slipped in and out of range in a dizzying display of quickness. While Stan groped for form, Suarez was in high gear, bombarding the flustered Romanian with 1-2-3 combinations to the head.

Suarez pulled ahead, 6-3, at the end of the first round and was up, 12-5, to start the third before drowning Stan with an avalanche of blows to breeze to a convincing 18-8 decision.

Suarez, 21, was quicker on the draw and repeatedly beat Stan to the punch.

National coach Pat Gaspi said he knew Suarez would win because of his big heart.

“Charly was determined,” said Gaspi. “He’s one of the hardest workers in the gym. He’s always looking to improve. Against the Romanian, he showed his quickness, defense and footwork.”

Gaspi said Suarez’ defense was the key to his counterattack. He explained that Stan was often thrown off balance and became an easy target after Suarez slipped a punch – sometimes, making it seem the Filipino had the longer reach.

Suarez, an only child who took up boxing at an early age for self-defense and is a five-time National Open gold medalist, said the win exorcised the ghost of his painful loss at the World Championships in Chicago two years ago. In that tournament, Suarez lost to Mongolia’s Zongtbaatar Enkhzorig by a point to bow out in the preliminaries.

“I kept thinking about losing my first fight in Chicago and I didn’t want it to happen again,” said Suarez. “I didn’t care if my opponent was taller and longer. I just went out there to put pressure on him and not give him a chance to set up.”

Suarez, whose boyhood idol was Mike Tyson, said he’s not giving up on his dream to fight in the Olympics. He has taken a leave from the University of Baguio, where he is a third year accounting student, to concentrate on mastering his craft. Suarez was previously enrolled at the University of Mindanao and transferred when he joined the national pool at the ABAP training center in Baguio City.

Suarez’ next opponent is South Korea’s Joo Min Jae who stands even taller than Stan. Joo, who is 5-11, will tower over Suarez but Gaspi said if the Filipino fights like the way he did against Stan, there’s no way he’ll lose.

Joo earned his ticket to the second round by trouncing Estonia’s Vladimir Nikiforov, 9-2. Awkward and gangling, the Korean kept Nikiforov at bay with his extremely long arms. Joo is deceptively quick and has fast hands. Suarez faces the Korean tomorrow.

Suarez’ win was the Philippines’ third in four outings. Gaspi described it a strong start but cautioned against high expectations.

“It’s a long tournament,” said Gaspi. “I’m confident our boys will do well because they’ve worked so hard and they’re in tip-top condition. They weigh in everyday to make sure they’re within the limit. It’s difficult to make predictions. We’re doing our best for our country.”

Gaspi said under the 64-man format in each division, it will take six wins to capture a gold. In a category where there are less than 64 fighters, byes are awarded to make up for the difference – in which case, a fighter with a bye needs to win five for the gold.

ABAP president Ricky Vargas left for Manila yesterday morning after spending five days here. He treated the Philippine team to dinner at a Chinese restaurant the night before and commended the fighters for their auspicious 3-of-4 start.