ANNIE ALBANIA ENTERS WOMEN'S BOXING SEMIS WITH BIG WIN IN ASIAN GAMES
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 22 Nov 2010
Albania (L) with Roach.
The little female dynamite Annie Albania put on another powerful performance against her fancied Japanese opponent Aya Shimmoto 7-2 to crash into the semi finals and assured herself of at least a bronze medal.
But Albania isn?t ready to settle for bronze. Amateur Boxing Association executive director Ed Picson said Albania is determined to go for gold.
At the end of the third round Albania and a Japanese opponent were tied at 2-2 but the little Filipina launched a barrage of punches in the final round to catch the hapless Shimmoto time and again and piled up five unanswered points to score a huge 7-2 come-from-behind victory.
Albania who bombed out in the first round of the recent Women?s World Championships in Barbados, was determined to erase the memory of that setback and set the tone with a superb win over a taller Zhaina Zhekervokoba of Kazakhstan 9-2 in her previous bout.
The 28 year old London Olympic Games prospect is a three-time gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games and her win bolstered the hopes of the Philippine boxing contingent under the new leadership of ABAP which is headed by Ricky Vargas with businessman-sportsman and passionate supporter of sports Manny Pangilinan as chairman.
Three other Filipino boxers remain in contention in the quest for gold at the Guangzhou Games.
Light flyweight sensation Victorio Saludar was scheduled to clash with India?s highly touted Amandeep Singh while welterweight Willie Lopez battles Mongolia?s rough and rugged Otgonjargal Jargal.
Amandeep Singh set up the showdown with Saludar by thrashing Muhammad Waseem of Pakistan in an 11-0 shutout . Amandeep was also a bronze medalist at the last Commonwealth Games in India.
The International Amateur Boxing Association ?AIBA- Asian Games preview said ?two-time world champion and reigning Olympic Champion 29 year old Zou Shiming returned at the Chinese National Games last year and has been unbeaten for a long time. He will be going for gold in Guangzhou.? However, the AIBA preview said ?the Philippines new sensation Victorio Saludar and two Central Asian teenagers are also among the medal contenders?
Victorio Saludar?s elder brother Rey, a winner of the gold medal in the recent Tammer Cup in Finland takes on Japan?s Katsuaki Susa in the flyweight semi finals on Wednesday. AIBA noted that World Championship quarter finalist Chatchai Butdee of Thailand and World Championship silver medalist Tugstsogt Nyambayar from Mongolia are the top favorites but listed Rey Salud as a medal contender.
Albania who apparently lost focus in the World Championship says she is ?truly focused now? and showed her determination in the final round against Kazakh opponent by scoring a mandatory eight count to seal an overwhelming 9-2 victor.
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