INCHEON, South Korea--Hanggang bronze medal lamang ang nakuha ni 2010 Asian Games gold medalist Rey Saludar matapos mabigo kay Kazakhtan fighter Ilyas Suleimenov, 30-17, sa semifinal round ng flyweight division sa Asian Men's Championship dito.
Bukod sa rapidong istilo ni Suleimenov, dalawang warning rin ang ipinataw kay Saludar ng referee na nagbigay sa Kazakhs ng 2 points.
Nabigyan rin ng warning sa third round si Suleimenov dahil sa pagtulak kay Saludar.
Bukod kay Saludar, ang iba pang lumahok sa nasabing torneo ay sina bantamweight Joan Tipon, lightweight Charly Suarez, junior welterweight Rolando Tacuyan at welterweight Wilfredo Lopez.
Hindi nakasama si light flyweight Victorio Saludar dahil sa kanyang hand injury dalawang araw bago ang biyahe ng koponan.
“Naturally, I'm personally disappointed with our performance here but we had some close losses,” sabi ni delegation head at ABAP executive director Ed Picson. “The coaches' program calls for our boxers to peak in the Olympic qualifiers in September, we'll see about that.”