Uzbek drops Suarez; Barriga wins

MANILA, Philippines - Charly Suarez dropped a stinging 16-21 loss to Uzbek Faziddin Gaibnazarov but three other Filipino fighters, led by Olympic-bound Mark Anthony Barriga, hurdled their respective rivals to advance in the Sydney Jackson Memorial Tournament at the Universal Sports Complex in Tashkent, Uzbekistan last Tuesday.

The coaching staff of the PLDT-ABAP team, composed of Ronald Chavez and Roel Velasco, said Suarez landed the more solid blows but the judges saw it otherwise, enabling the London Olympics-bound Gaibnazarov to post the five-point victory.

Barriga, meanwhile, bucked a wayward elbow by Temitas Jusupov in the second round and went on to beat the taller Kazakh fighter, 11-8. 

It was the other way around for 2011 AIBA world junior champion Eumir Felix Marcial who looked uncomfortable against a much shorter but shifty Shaboz Muhammadov, eking out a close 14-13 decision.

The first round went to the 16-year-old from Zamboanga City, 7-5, but the Uzbek started to run circles around Marcial and managed to even things up at 9. Marcial had to run after his foe in the third to land his power punches to pull off the win. He faces another Uzbek, Babur Aytbaev, Wednesday.

Ian Clark Bautista, also 16, recovered from a so-so start with a strong finish, beating Ilhom Ivonov, also of Uzbek, 16-13.