Tañamor stokes RP hope for gold

Harry Tañamor took the fight to Thai rival Arnon Pangleelad in the early going and then took a rousing 30-22 victory to barge into the light flyweight finals in the 26th King’s Cup International Boxing championships in Bangkok, Thailand Monday night.

The 26-year-old Tañamor, the comebacking Armyman from Zamboanga City and the lone surviving member of the six-man RP squad, weaved, bobbed and counterpunched his way to the victory over Thailand Team-A’s bet to keep the Philippines’ gold medal hopes alive in the 18-team, 15-nation, top-level tournament

Tañamor, bronze medalist in the 2003 World Championships and the lone boxing medalist in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam, shoots for the gold medal Tuesday as he battles Ramdhani Kamal of Indonesia in the finals of this world-ranking tournament which lured 89 world-class boxers.

"Harry’s victory more than made up for the sorry losses absorbed by his teammates in this tough tournament which lured the best boxers from the former members of the USSR as well as Asian and Middle East countries. His victory over a Thai, in Thailand, really proved his worth in the team," said Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president Manny Lopez.

"He is ready for the Southeast Asian Games. He is peaking in time and showed that he is ready to fight again after seven months of hibernation," Lopez added pointing at the self-imposed leave of absence by Tañamor after his botched campaign in the Athens Olympics last year.

It was a bout Tañamor said he could not afford to lose.

"Sinabi ko sa sarili ko na p’wede akong matalo pero handa akong mamatay sa loob ng ring kapag nakataya ang pangalan ng ating bansa, lalo na kung taga Thailand ang kalaban. Alam ko na magaling ang kalaban ko kaya hindi na ako nagpa tumpik-tumpik pa, binanatan ko na agad sa umpisa pa lang," Tañamor said.

True to his words, Tañamor never wasted any moment as he battled Pangleelad toe-to-toe right in the first round when the Thai chose to slug it out early, effectively fending off punches by Pangleelad when he resorted to a hit-and-run tactic. By the time the bell sounded for the end of the third round, Tañamor was way ahead, 23-14, and the Filipino cleverly unleashed counter-punches that thwarted the rallying Pangleelad in the fourth and final round.

"Yan ang Tañamor na kilala namin. Hindi umaatras sa laban at sasayaw lang kung gusting gulangan ang kalaban. Puwede na uli siyang bitiwan sa SEA Games," said coach Leopoldo Cantancio, who is ably assisted by Elmer Pamisa.

"Sana tuloy-tuloy na ito para naman mabawasan ang lungkot ng mga ibang kasama naming na talaga rin naming lumaban ngunit nagkulang at natalo," Pamisa stated.

The team, sent here by the First Gentleman Foundation and San Miguel Corporation with support from Pacific heights as part of the ABAP eliminations for the team which will see action in the Manila SEA Games in November, had earlier seen the losses of flyweight Violito Payla, bantamweight Rolando Magbanua, lightweight Anthony Marcial, light welterweight Florencio Ferrer and middleweight Francis Joven against superior and more experienced rivals.

On the way to the semis, Tañamor ousted So Sok of North Korea via RSC-OS (Referee Stopped Contest-Outscored, 26-6, in three rounds) in his preliminary bout and then overpowered Muanton Budee of Thailand Team B, 30-15, in the quarterfinals.