THREE PINOY BOXERS IN TOUGH QUARTER FINAL BOUTS ON TUESDAY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 29 Sep 2014
As the quest for elusive gold medals in the Incheon Asian Games continues, three of our boxers face tough quarter final bouts on Tuesday.
Bantamweight Mario Fernandez will strive to avenge his loss to India?s Shiva Thapa in the 2013 AIBA World Championships.
Fernandez who hammered Nepal?s Puran Rai to score a unanimous three-round shutout decision is expected to have a hard time in his rematch with Thapa but the gold medalist in the last Southeast Asian Games who overcame fancied Thai fighter Donchai Thathi whom he beat in Myanmar to win gold looked good in his clash with Thathi and then with Rai.
However, Thapa had the benefit of getting a walkover in his first bout against Leonel Helo Prada of Timor Leste and won by a 1st round TKO in an abbreviated round of 16 clash with Nadir of Pakistan who was cut above the left eye and the bout was stopped at 1 minute 5 seconds of the opening round.
The 21 year old Fernandez, a rising star of the Amateur Boxing Alliance of the Philippines under its president Ricky Vargas, is a product of a nationwide grassroots development program and had showed his undoubted skill so far.
Winner of the gold medal in the Lion's Cup International Boxing Championships in Sri Lanka earlier this year, Fernandez out-boxed Rai, using his hand-speed to connect with one-two combinations and with excellent lateral movements frustrated the Nepalese fighter winning all three rounds on the scorecards of the three judges for a 30-27 shutout.
Light flyweight Mark Anthony Barriga who scored a rousing win over tough Japanese opponent Tosho Kashiwasaki to enter the quarter finals at the Asian Games boxing competition in Incheon, South Korea faces Uzbekistan?s Hasanboy Dusmatov who ABAP executive director Ed Picson described as ?a tough kid.?
The little southpaw Barriga who lost to two-time Olympic gold medal winner and two-time world light flyweight champion at the 2011 World Amateur Championships and lost a heartbreaking 17-16 decision to Birzhan Zhakypol of Kazakhstan in the 2012 London Olympics was far more impressive than when he won over Syria?s Hussain Al Masri by a split decision in the round of 16 last September 25.
Two judges had Barriga the winner 29-28 while the third judge gave Barriga all three rounds for a 30-27 shutout which underscored his dominance of Kashiwasaki who had won by a TKO in his first bout over Sanad Ali Miqtafi of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The international organization AIBA said the Philippines has an excellent tradition in the light flyweight class with previous team members including Rol Velasco, Mansueto Velasco and Harry Tanamor among the globe?s best athletes at one time in that class.
It said No. 1 is Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament winner and London 2012 Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga who is a great prospect of the country and a medal contender in Incheon.
The AIBA website noted that Barriga won his opening bout in Incheon against Hussin Al Masri of Syria and then faced Japan?s Asian Continental Championship bronze medalist Tosho Kashiwasaki who has been biding his time for a spot on Japan?s national team.
AIBA said the Japanese used some great combinations in the opening minute but Barriga also produced some quality moments in the tactical first round.
It said Barriga turned on the heat in the second round and his attacks improved as the fight progressed which resulted in a close triumph over a technical rival.
Kyrgystan?s Great Silk Way Touurnament winner Turat Osmonov had to meet Iraq?s Konakbayev tournament gold medalist Hasan Al Naser in the opening round of the men?s light flyweight competition.
AIBA said Osmonov has developed well over the past year and has defeated strong Ukranian, Azeri, Russian and Kazakh boxers in recent times.
The promising Osmonov won all three rounds against Al Naser who could not find his successful footwork against Osmonov.
In the third quarter final clash featuring a Filipino, middleweight Wilfredo Lopez will battle rugged Uzbekistan fighter Shinabayar Narmandakh who overpowered Kuwait?s Almutauru Zaid in his last fight.
The Uzbek fighter is ranked No. 5 in the Asian Games.
In one of his most impressive performances Narmandakh scored a unanimous decision win over favored Konstantin Snigur in the world championships in Kazakhstan, battering the Israeli fighter.
Not many fight fans gave middleweight Wilfredo Lopez much of a chance of beating Uraq?s tough Waheed Waheed in the round of 16 at the Incheon Asian Games boxing competition at the Seonhak Gymnasium but the courageous Filipino stunned the fancied Iraqi with a methodical win to move into the quarter finals.
Lopez boxed intelligently using his jab and quick one-two combinations and darting out of range of Hamed?s power punches and frustrated the Iraqi throughout to score one of the biggest wins of his career coming as it did after a lackluster performance in his opening bout when he beat Turkmenistan?s Aziz Achilov by a split decision.
Except for his tendency to keep his left hand down opening himself to a big right hand which is a flaw executive director Ed Picson said the ABAP coaching staff is trying to correct, Lopez is fundamentally sound although not exceptional.
ABAP president Ricky Vargas was uncertain on how the judges would score the fight and kept jumping up and down when he heard the decision in favor of the 19 year old Lopez.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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