One of five left standing in Baku

MANILA, Philippines - Lightflyweight simonpure Mark Anthony Barriga of Panabo, Davao del Norte, is the only Filipino survivor of five fighters wearing the national colors at the 16th World Youth Amateur Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and with two wins under his belt, is still two victories shy of earning a sure ticket to the Youth Olympics in Singapore on Aug. 14-26.

It will take six wins to clinch the gold in the 48-kilogram division where there are 51 entries. Four wins will guarantee a bronze medal and five, a silver. Only the four medalists in each of the 11 weight categories will advance to Singapore.

Barriga, 17, has scored the only wins for the Philippines in Baku, decisioning China’s Zhang Liang, 7-3, last Monday and scuttling Thailand’s Tanes Ongjunta, 15-5, last Wednesday. He was scheduled to face Russia’s Nikita Fedorchenko yesterday with the result still unavailable at presstime.

If Barriga hurdles Fedorchenko, he will meet the winner of the match between Ireland’s Ryan Burnett and Colombia’s Robert Barrera Estrada in the quarterfinals.

Only 16 fighters are left standing in the lightflyweight class. Among those still in contention are Cuba’s Yosvany Veita Soto, England’s Charlie Edwards, Japan’s Naoya Inoue, Australia’s Jackson Woodds and Uzbekistan’s Zohidjon Hoorboyev.

It won’t be easy sailing for Barriga who has so far posted upsets over favored opponents from China and Thailand. Fedorchenko, his next opponent, is coming off a 13-5 win over Ricardo Blackman of Barbados and a 13-2 thrashing of Nikolay Raykov of Bulgaria.

Barriga was impressive in repulsing Ongjunta, opening a 3-1 lead in the first round, stretching the gap to 13-5 in the second and picking up two more points while blanking the Thai in the third.

“I think Mark has a good chance of beating the Russian because he’s quicker and smarter,” said coach Elmer Pamisa who is in Baku with another coach Sonny Dollente. “Mark just has to find a way to neutralize the Russian’s height advantage. But if Mark fights like he did against China and Thailand, he’s a sure winner over Russia.”

Two more Filipinos fell by the wayside last Wednesday. Flyweight Jenno Cabugngan of Tagbilaran City, Bohol, was drubbed, 11-5, by Korea’s Min Hong while Egypt’s Walid Said Mohamed Sedik Mohamed eliminated lightweight Michael Delorino of Catarman, Northern Samar, with Hungarian referee Zoltan Szalma stopping the mismatch after the Filipino fell behind, 9-0, in the first round.

Pamisa said Cabugngan never recovered from a slow start as Hong jumped on top, 3-1, in the first round. “Jenno put up a good fight but couldn’t pin down the Korean who kept running away,” he added. Hong took the second round, 4-2, and also the third, 4-2, to win handily, 11-5.

Delorino, a late replacement for injured Australia-based Robin Palileo, bombed out as expected, said ABAP executive director Ed Picson. Palileo strained his left shoulder while sparring a few days before the scheduled departure for Baku and Delorino was recalled from the Baguio training camp to take his spot on the team.

“We still have to evaluate Robin’s MRI,” said Picson. “He was incommunicado for over a week while visiting relatives in Las Piñas. Robin called in only the other day. We’ll be discussing his future in the national pool.”

Cabugngan and Delorino joined two other Filipinos on the sidelines. Booted out of contention earlier were featherweight Nathaniel Montealto of Puerto Princesa and bantamweight Ricky Dulay of Calbayog City, Samar.  

Montealto lost a 7-2 verdict to Nigeria’s Tosin Kazeem Oliwo while Dulay was trounced, 16-4, by Patrik Velky of the Czech Republic.

“Mark’s diminutive but he’s the most talented and most cunning in the team,” said Picson who flew to Baku for the delegation managers’ meeting last Sunday and returned to Manila last Tuesday to arrange the five-day coaching workshop with USA Boxing high performance director Patrick Borkowski in Baguio on May 4-8. “If it comes down to talent, skill and will to win, then Mark stands a good chance of qualifying.”

Travel problems caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland brought down the expected number of participants from 532 to 486 in Baku. But the AIBA (International Boxing Association) said the conclave got together the largest gathering of countries since the biennial Youth competition was launched as the World Cadet Championships in Yokohama in 1979. There are 123 countries represented in Baku with Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, host Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Hungary, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine showing up with complete lineups of 11 fighters each. China and Uzbekistan came with 10 fighters, both skipping the superheavyweight division.

Thailand arrived with eight fighters----Ongjunta, flyweight Thirapong Maninak, bantamweight Boonyarak Ampairat, featherweight Bunjong Sinsiri, lightweight Phonwirat Patitangkho, lightwelterweight Warakom Rakmak, welterweight Potiphong Samphaolon and middleweight Sakkarin Choojit.

Iran and India are in Baku with nine fighters apiece, Korea with seven, Japan with five and Singapore and Indonesia with two each. Malaysia has no representative.