Pinoy pugs in crucial bouts

Action heats up in the boxing competitions of the 14th Asian Games in Busan as two Filipino fighters try to keep their medal hopes alive in do-or-die bouts at the Masan gymnasium today.

Flyweight Violito Payla takes on Nouman Karim of Pakistan while lightweight Anthony Igusquiza makes his debut against Hamidi Yousef of Syria. The winners of both fights automatically advance to the semifinals and are assured of bronze medals.

Payla, 23, pounded out a 31-26 decision over Tulashboy Doniyorov of Uzbekistan in his first assignment last Saturday. With 16 entries in the 51 kilogram division, it will take four straight wins to clinch the gold.

Payla would’ve faced Berik Serikbayev of Kazakhstan in his next outing but was spared when Karim upset the world’s No. 2 contender via a 14-9 verdict. Now, Payla must survive Karim to set up a semifinal duel against the winner of a quarterfinals match between Kim Tae Kue of South Korea and Batkhuu Otgonchuluun of Mongolia on Oct. 11. The fight for the gold is scheduled on Oct. 13.

Payla’s consolation is he won’t battle world’s No. 1 Somjit Jongjohor until the finals–assuming, of course, both fighters make it to the end. Somjit, who swept his three assignments at the recent World Cup in Kazakhstan, is considered Thailand’s best bet for a gold.

Payla, however, isn’t fazed by the daunting opposition. The Cagayan de Oro native boasts impressive credentials himself. This year, he pocketed golds in three overseas tournaments–the Chowdry Cup in Azerbaijan, the Tammer Cup in Finland, and the Acropolis Cup in Greece. Payla also won a gold at the Balado Cup in Cuba last year.

Igusquiza, 26, drew a bye in the opening round and meets Yousef in the quarterfinals. A win will guarantee a bronze for Igusquiza who, incidentally, bagged a bronze at the 1994 Hiroshima Asiad. Yousef turned back Tserennadmid Munkhchuluun of Mongolia via a high-scoring 68-58 count in his first bout.

Since his Asiad debut eight years ago, Igusquiza has collected a gold from the President Cup in Indonesia in 1995, the Mayors Cup here in 1998, and the BoxAm in Santander, Spain, in 2000. This year, he earned a silver at the Lutuvos Cup in Lithuania.

Tomorrow, two more Filipinos hope to crash the semifinals and bag a sure bronze.

Lightflyweight Harry Tanamor takes on Qamar Mohammad Ali of India and lightwelterweight Romeo (Ace) Brin, a two-time Olympian, squares off against Sydney Olympian Asghar Ali Shah of Pakistan.

Tanamor, 24, is gunning for his third consecutive win. He previously outpointed Kyan Swar Aung of Myanmar, 25-7, and Zou Shiming of China, 15-13. For Tanamor to capture the gold in the 48 kilogram class, he must score three more wins. There are 17 entries, led by world’s No. 2 and 1998 Asiad gold medallist Suban Pannon of Thailand, in the division.

If Tanamor survives Ali, he will face either Pannon or Kim Un Chol of North Korea in the semis on Oct. 12. Pannon was impressive in his opening match, knocking out Mak Sophat of Cambodia at 1:54 of the first round, while Kim disposed of Mahmoude Mohammed Dawood of Afghanistan in the third.

Brin, 29, relied on his experience to outpoint Bayanmunkh Bayanjargal of Mongolia, 20-16, in his first match. It will take four wins to clinch the gold in the 63.6 kilogram class where there are 14 entries.

Brin is seeing action in his third Asiad in a row. In 1994, he was eliminated by Chaleo Somwong of Thailand in his second match and returned home empty-handed. In 1998, Brin defeated Mahmoud Saloum of Syria then lost to Nurzhan Smanov of Kazakhstan to once more end up without a medal.

Brin was also luckless at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. As a lightweight in Atlanta, he lost a 24-13 decision to Julio Gonzalez Valladores of Cuba in his first bout. In Sydney two years ago, the 5-7 veteran reemerged as a lightwelterweight and yielded an 8-5 verdict to Sergei Bykovski of Bulgaria in his only outing.

If Brin wins tomorrow, he will clinch at least a bronze and mark his best finish ever in the Asian Games.

Another Filipino fighter Maraon Goles of Mandaue City makes his first appearance against Ahmed Al Khan of Pakistan in the middleweight division on Wednesday. A win will assure at least a bronze for the 21-year-old Goles. Because there are only 12 entries in the 71 kilogram division, only three victories are required for a gold. But opposition is formidable as world’s No. 8 and Sydney Olympian Utkirbek Haydarov of Uzbekistan is entered in the derby.

Curiously, three Pakistanis are in the way of Filipinos shooting for a ticket to the semifinals. Payla, Brin, and Goles must beat Pakistanis to advance. In a sport that is wracked by politics and prejudice, judges appear to favor Pakistani fighters because they owe their jobs to International Amateur Boxing Federation president Anwar Chowdry who is, of course, from Pakistan.