Filipino pugs suffer setbacks in Asian meet

MANILA, Philippines - The PLDT-ABAP campaign in the Asian Elite Men’s Championships suffered a major setback as two Filipino fighters lost in the preliminaries at the Amman Boxing Arena in Amman, Jordan Thursday.

Bantamweight Mario Fernandez of Cagayan de Oro lost steam and bowed to Kazakhstan national champion Kairat Yeraliyev while Junel Cantancio succumbed to Thai Ardee Sailom in two stinging defeats that stymied the team’s campaign.

Fernandez took the opening round but Yeraliyev, fresh from a gold medal finish in the Korotkov Memorial tournament in Russia, stepped up his attack midway in the second round and took control.

In the third round, Yeraliyev had the better of several fierce exchanges, and won the bout on close scores of 29-28 on all three judges’ cards.

Cantancio, meanwhile, ran into a hulking Sailom, who used his power against the Philippine Air Force airman to win the match pulling away, 3-0.

The Thai, a 2-time Olympian (Beijing 2008 and London 2012) is a perennial victim of Charly Suarez who bested him in the finals of both the 2009 Laos and 2011 Palembang SEA Games.

Suarez however was unable to make the trip as he is currently undergoing therapy for a torn shoulder ligament after his stint with the Italia Thunder in the World Series of Boxing.

Left to carry the Philippine colors in the tournament participated in by 27 Asian countries, are Asian Games gold medalist Rey Saludar who sees action Friday against another Thai, Ongjunta Tanes, and Rogen Ladon whose bout with Kazakhstan’s Temertas Zhussupov will be on Saturday.