Tañamor last man standing in RP team

ATHENS (Via Globe Telecom) – Light flyweight Harry Tañamor must remember the past to draw strength for the tough task at present.

The last man standing for Team Philippines in boxing will clash with a brilliant and sturdy Korean Hong Moo Won Saturday night at the Peristeri boxing hall hoping for a win that will send him to the quarterfinals in the Athens Games.

The two boxers are going into the fight at 8 p.m. with contrasting opening day results–the Korean impressive in his start while the veteran Filipino struggled in form.

The 23-year-old Hong claimed one of three stoppages in the first round, demolishing Madagascar’s Aleksan Nabaldyan in the third round on a 20-point rule at 30-10 while Tañamor agonized for three rounds with poor timing before mastering Tajikistan Sherail Dostiev.

Hopefully that would change for the Zamboanga-born fighter who had lost in the final of the third leg of the Asian qualifier in Karachi to the flashy Korean.

"Panalo dapat kami doon. Pero kung ganoon ang lalaruin namin dito malaki ang pag-asa (We could have won that but if we fought the same way here we have a very good chance)," said national coach George Caliwan.

The RP coaching staff, in fact, spent the entire afternoon reviewing the video tape of Hong’s fight against the Madagascar native Friday and later ordered flyweight Violito Payla to approximate the Korean style in a sparring session at the athletes village.

"Di maganda ang timing ni Harry sa first round, medyo rattled sa kalaban kaya nahirapan (Harry didn’t have good timing in the first round and he got rattled by his opponent)," said Caliwan.

Tañamor himself admitted going through some anxious moments against Dostiev, needing the entire run of the first three rounds to overcome his rival with 17-12 verdict that drew cheers and boos from the crowd.

"He was a bit nervous at the start of the contest but felt more confident as the bout went on," said former Manila Mayor Mel Lopez.

A victory by Tañamor over Hong will send the two-time bronze medalist in the world championship to another do-or-die encounter in the quarterfinals with the winner of the explosive bout between Cuban Yan Varela Bhartelemy and the talented Suban Pannon of Thailand.

World light flyweight champion and three-time European titlist Sergey Kazakov resumes his own campaign for the gold when he fights Mexico’s Miguel Castañeda while China’s Zou Shiming goes up against Ethiopia’s Endalkachew Kebede in two other important bouts.

Tañamor is the lone fighter out of the four-man squad that trained in Bulgaria and France left in the cast and has been seeded to make it to the medal bouts along with Zou, Kazakov and Bhartelemy.

Middleweight Chris Camat and Payla had failed to hurdle their first round assignments and light welterweight Romeo Brin succumbed in the second round against Thailand Manus Boonjumnong.