TANAMOR EARNS OLYMPIC BERTH
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 01 Nov 2007
Veteran Olympian Harry Tanamor earned a coveted berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics with an excruciatingly narrow victory over old foe Sherali Dostiev of Tajikistan, after a 4-4 tiebreaker was resolved in the Filipino?s favor enabling him to enter the light flyweight quarter finals in the World Boxing Championships at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion in Chicago, yesterday.
Two other Filipinos however faltered in their quest for glory. Asian Games flyweight gold medalist Violeto Payla was soundly beaten by fancied 20 year old American Rau-shee Warren 25-11 while lightweight Genebert Basadre also lost to Armenia?s Hrachik Javakhyan by a lopsided 17-6 score.
It will be Tanamor?s third successive trip to the Olympics having represented the Philippines at both the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games where he was picked by the prestigious Sports Illustrated magazine to enter the medal round but failed, losing to South Korea?s Hong Moo Won in the round of sixteen.
The 30 year old Tanamor who defeated Dostiev in the round of 32 in Athens had a much harder battle this time around with the accepted scores of the judges indicating the closeness of the bout. In fact no points were credited to either fighter in the opening round while it was 1-1 in the second. Dostiev edged in front in the third 1-0 but Tanamor who was warned by the referee along with Dostiev, recovered with a late flurry to take the fourth round by a slim 3-2 margin which eventually sealed the victory.
The two-time bronze medal winner at the World Championships in Ireland in 2001 and Thailand in 2003, Tanamor who was dropped from the Doha Asian Games squad in 2004 for disciplinary reasons, clashes with American Luis Yanez of Texas who had to wait a week without seeing action before scoring a second round stoppage over Australia?s Stephen Sutherland. Yanez was leading 17-3 with 16 seconds left in round two when the referee stopped the bout after Sutherland, a onetime sparring partner of Yanez, had received three, standing eight-counts.
Yanez, the Pan Asian Games gold medalist who nailed Sutherland with several powerful hooks said he was ?just getting ready for the next bout? against the experienced Tanamor. Yanez is considered one of the brightest prospects on the US team for an Olympic gold medal.
Despite coming out charging in the fourth and final round and blooding his opponent?s nose in the second, Payla had no answer to the quickness of Warren who virtually settled the issue in the opening round when he landed several hooks to take a commanding 9-1 lead against the slow-starting Payla despite hurting his shoulder . Although Warren slowed down a little in round two his solid defense helped the American enjoy a 13-3 lead at the halfway mark even as he continued to control the bout to extend his lead to 19-7 at the end of the third.
Payla stalked Warren in the final round in an effort to trap him on the ropes but the American was too shifty and went on to claim his second Olympic berth. The youngest athlete in the Athens Olympics at 16, Warren lost in his opening bout. In a post-fight interview the cocky Warren said ?my hooks were scoring and every time I caught him I was counting ? that?s one, that?s two, that?s three. My straight punches were working but he just kept coming. I try to get my points real early and make him play catch-up. When they play catch-up they start coming forward and putting pressure.?
A bronze medal winner at the Doha Asian Games in 2004 Basadre was out-boxed by Javakhran and although the Filipino tried his best the Armenian who had earlier beaten American Sadam Ali handily 25-17, simply proved too good.
Top photo: Harry Tanamor poses near a World Boxing Championship banner in Chicago. Photo by JV Tuazon.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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