SUAREZ IS LAST MAN STANDING AS THREE OTHER FILIPINO BOXERS ROBBED OF VICTORY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 03 Oct 2014
Lightweight Charly Suarez is the last man standing in the Philippine boxing team?s quest for gold after he scored a split decision win over Jordan?s Obada Mohammed Mustafa Alkasbeh in a fight that could have gone either way.
In fact, the consensus was that Suarez had a much harder time but still won a split decision while the three other boxers who lost appeared to have won comfortably but lost in the eyes of the judges who have been at the center of controversy amidst accusations of bribery.
Suarez connected with the more accurate punches in the last round against his aggressive Jordanian opponent who was ready to mix it up from the opening bell but couldn?t sustain his initial momentum.
The Chinese and Kazakhstan judges scored all three rounds for Suarez who won by a 30-27 shutout but the Russian judge saw it differently and scored it for Alkasbeh 29-28.
Suarez will go for the elusive gold against rugged Mongolian Otgondolai Dorjnyambuu who handily beat Japan?s Satoshi Shimizu to win by a unanimous decision.
Suarez beat Otgondolai in the Kazakhstan?s President Cup competition with relative ease with two judges scoring a 30-27 shutout while the third judge from Kazakhstan gave it to the Mongolian boxer 29-28.
Suarez eventually lost a controversial decision to hometown fighter Berik Abdrahmanov despite dropping the Kazakh fighter in the 3rd round when, according to coach Elmer Pamisa, the bell rang suspiciously early.
London Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga got the better of South Korea?s Shin Jong Hun in the ring but the judges got the better of the talented Filipino southpaw on the scorecards with an inexplicable 30-27 margin by one judge and 29-28 margins by the two judges.
In the fight telecast by TV 5 we saw Barriga a clear winner in the second and third rounds in which he caught the Korean with excellent counter-punches especially in round three when he rocked Shin Jong Hun who probably won the first round as Barriga sized him up.
When the bell sounded ending the third round Barriga raised his hands confident he had won and was stunned when the decision was announced. But the little Filipino took it like a true champion saying he was glad he was not hurt and that he tried his best.
Bantamweight Mario Fernandez, a promising product of the ABAP grassroots development program also suffered a heartbreaking loss to China?s Zhang Jiawei who also won by a unanimous 29-28 decision on the scorecards of Tunisian judge Braham Mohammed, Cuban judge Jose Ignacio del Puerto Rueba and Korean judge Nauchon Bayek.
Fernandez was clearly the busier fighter and connected with solid counter-punches to no avail as the judges who have come under relentless fire from the Indian, Thai, Mongolian and even Chinese and Philippine delegations saw it differently than we who covered the fight on TV5.
In one final travesty middleweight Wilfredo Lopez lost by a split decision to Jordanian southpaw Odai Riyad Adel Alhindawi who was often sent reeling backwards by the power punches of Lopez who had scored a 1st round TKO over the much tougher Shinbayar Narmandakh in the quarter finals.
While the Cuban judge scored the fight for Lopez 29-28 the two other judges from Korea and Algeria had the Jordanian the winner by a similar 29-28 margin to complete an agonizing evening for the Philippine delegation headed by ABAP president Ricky Vargas and executive director Ed Picson.
The stunned ABAP executive director told spin.ph in Incheon ?we thought we won all three bouts but apparently we are looking at different bouts. I don?t know how the judges saw it but we just have to accept it? even as he had earlier lamented the loss of Ian Clark Bautista to a Korean fighter in the round of 16.
Picson felt that Barriga and Lopez, at the very least, won convincingly. He said Lopez skill-wise was way ahead of his Jordanian opponent while in the case of Barriga it was clear he hurt the Korean.
Picson said that even if they considered the Fernandez fight close, he still believes the Filipino won.
We covered all the fights of the Filipinos and thought Barriga, Fernandez and Lopez all won their fights fairly comfortably but were robbed of victory while Suarez who was in a very close fight was declared the winner and will be the last man standing in the quest for a gold medal in boxing.
Photo: Philippine's Charly Suarez punches Jordan's Obada Mohammad Mustafa Alkasbeh during their men's light (60kg) semi-final boxing match at the Seonhak Gymnasium during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. Reuters.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Mason Storm: Abdullah Butchers Nakathila in Norfolk Showcase
Sun, 08 Jun 2025Return of the comeback
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 08 Jun 2025MANNY PACQUIAO IN CANASTOTA, NY (PHOTOS)
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 08 Jun 2025Introducing The Spartan Series: Vegas Fight Experience — Where Authentic Sparring Meets Cinematic Vegas Energy
Sun, 08 Jun 2025RESULTS FROM TONIGHT’S “HALL OF FAME FIGHT NIGHT” PRESENTED BY SALITA PROMOTIONS & ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT LIVE ON DAZN AT THE TURNING STONE RESORT CASINO
Sat, 07 Jun 2025Davis vs De Los Santos: The Fight That Never Was
By Chris Carlson, Sat, 07 Jun 20252 Filipino grandmasters join Touchmove chess tourney
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 07 Jun 2025Keyshawn Davis Fight Canceled After Weight Miss, Mason-Nakathila Elevated to Main Event
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 07 Jun 2025Eumir Marcial Set to Battle Alexis Gaytán in Pacquiao's Comeback Show
By Carlos Costa, Sat, 07 Jun 2025SUNDAY: Fabio Turchi-Milans Volkovs Cruiserweight Showdown Headlines Italy Fight Card LIVE in the U.S. on ESPN+
Sat, 07 Jun 2025Bomogao KOs Rubio in 1st round
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 07 Jun 2025REYES CUP SET FOR ELECTRIFYING RETURN TO MANILA, OCTOBER 16–19
Sat, 07 Jun 2025King's Promotions June 19th Card at Wind Creek Event Center is Postponed Card Rescheduled for September 5th
Sat, 07 Jun 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 7 - AMATEUR BOXING CAREER OF MUHAMMAD ALI
By Maloney L. Samaco, Fri, 06 Jun 2025Indiana, Haliburton Do It Again, Pacers Shock OKC on the Road, 111-110
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Fri, 06 Jun 2025