Payla, Barriga join 2 RP pugs in semis

HAVANA — Flyweight Violito Payla passed his first international test with flying colors Friday night while lightweight Joel Barriga celebrated his birthday with a big victory as Team Caltex Philippines looked forward to its best finish in the Cordova Cardin boxing championships at the "Kid Chocolate" gymnasium here.

The 22-year-old Payla, an Armyman from Cagayan de Oro and the latest addition to the team, showed a big fighting heart seldom seen in rookies as he whipped Cuban counterpart Leon Alarcon, 12-6. Barriga, who turned 28 a day before the fight, out-pointed Brazilian Luis de Souza, 22-15, at the jampacked venue named after the late Cuban world champ Eligio Sardiñas.

Their victories cushioned the impact of featherweight Ramil Zambales and light-middleweight Junie Tizon’s setbacks against taller and heftier boxers from powerhouse Cuba. Zambales dragged his hurting right foot throughout the fight and lost to Cuba’s Yunier Barzaga, 0-5, while Tizon took an RSC loss against local boy Fabier Barrera with only 45 ticks left.

But more importantly, Payla and Barriga assured Team Caltex, supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Pacific Heights, of four bronze medals in the seven-nation tournament featuring Cuba’s finest amateur boxers like flyweight Maikro Romero and lightweight Mario Kindelan who are both Olympic gold medalists in Atlanta and Sydney.

The two other Filipino boxers in the semis are bantamweight Arlan Lerio, a Sydney Games veteran who defeated a Guatemalan rival Thursday night, and welterweight Reynaldo Galido, who takes on Cuba’s Lorenzo Aragon Saturday night after taking a bye in the opening round. Payla, Lerio and Barriga will shoot for silver medals Sunday night.

Since joining this tournament in 1996, the Philippines has won only two silvers -- from light-flyweight Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco and Lerio, then a flyweight, in 1996 and 1998, respectively. With four boxers in the semis this time, Team Caltex is in good shape of nailing its best finish here as it prepares for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in September.

Aside from Zambales and Tizon, other members of Team Caltex out of the running are light-flyweight Danilo Lerio, who lost to a Cuban pug Thursday (4-12), and light-welterweight Romeo Brin, who absorbed a painful loss to Cuban Diogenes Luna (20-20/1-4), a bronze medalist in Sydney and gold medal winner in last year’s world championships.

Maganda ang pinapakita ng mga boxers natin dahil halos puro Cubano ang mga nakatapat sa unang mga laban na kung hindi world champions ay puro malalakas sa Olympics," said head coach George Caliwan, a sentiment shared by fellow coaches Nolito Velasco and Alex Arroyo, and referee/judge Darcito Teodoro.

After the tournament which ends on the 10th, the members of Team Caltex – all eight of them – will see action in two more meets here in Havana until the 17th. But the members of Cuba’s team A are no longer expected to be around since they are scheduled to leave next week for Ireland where they will stay until June for the world championships.