GOING GETS TOUGHER FOR BARRIGA
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 01 Aug 2012
Mark Anthony Barriga, fresh from a sensational 17-7 thrashing of favored Italian light flyweight Manuel Cappai knows that the going gets tougher in his quest for an Olympic medal when he clashes with Kazakhstan?s rugged Birzhan Zhakypov for a place in the quarter finals of the London Games.
Barriga battles Zhakypov who edged Jeremy Beccu of France 18-17 on August 4 at the ExCel Arena knowing that the crowd will be behind him as it was when he scored a rousing win over the European bronze medalist Cappai on Tuesday.
Zhakypov won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Amateur Championships and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he lost to top favorite and gold medal winner Zou Shiming 4-9. He was also beaten by the Chinese superstar in the finals of the 2010 Asian Games.
The International Amateur Boxing Federation or AIBA was full of praise for Barriga, referring to him as ?The Philippines? new boxing sensation? pointing out that the two-time Sydney Jackson Memorial Tournament winner is ?really making a name for himself after defeating world class rivals in recent months and impressing at the London 2012 Olympic Games.?
AIBA noted that Barriga?s sensational victory against the promising Cappai has made the rest of the competition stand up and take notice of his talent.?
Barriga was in fact part of the AIBA ?Road to London? program where the report recalled that ?he trained hard and amazed his various sparring partners with his tenacity and now he is ready to challenge the current order and bid for an Olympic medal.?
The 18 year old Barriga overcame the four inch height advantage of the 19 year old Cappai, the bronze medalist in the European qualifiers, with his speed and effective counter-punches that often rocked the head of his opponent right back.
Cappai who was described in pre-fight reports as an ?Italian rising star maturing fast at this level? had no answer for the skill of Barriga who was clearly the crowd favorite.
Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines president Ricky Vargas who followed the ?live? coverage on AKTV IBC 13 was overjoyed with the performance of the five foot dynamo from Davao.
He put it succinctly when he told the Manila Standard ?See what a courageous heart can do. Perfect execution by an intelligent fighter.?
Vargas noted that people ?tend to underestimate Barriga but he is a very intelligent fighter. I am really happy for him and for our country.?
Fight News reported that the fast-paced action continued when two of the light flyweight?s rising stars Manuel Cappai and Mark Barriga ?battled it out in spectacular fashion.?
It said both fighters have bright futures ahead of them and ?it told as the skills on show had the crowd on the edge of their seats.?
The report noted that Barriga was ?too quick for the taller Cappai, catchjing him with several left hooks that rocked the Italian in the first round. Barriga?s speed was causing havoc and he continued to dominate as he landed several hard lefts to triumph 17:7.?
Fight News said the young southpaw received a few tips from his compatriot Manny Pacquiao and although he finds himself in the tough part of the draw, many expect him to challenge for honors.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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