Joan tipped as Olympic medalist

Asian Games boxing gold medalist Roberto Jalnaiz said yesterday bantamweight Joan Tipon is the country’s best bet to hit pay dirt at the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of his style, long arms, heart and precision punching.

Jalnaiz, who claimed the Philippines’ only gold medal as a bantamweight at the Beijing Asiad in 1990, said Tipon fights like Thailand’s three-time Olympian Somluck Kamsing.

Tipon faces Korea’s Han Soon Chul for the gold medal in the bantamweight division at the Asian Games in Doha today.

"Tipon reminds me of Somluck," said Jalnaiz. "He doesn’t come straight forward and moves side to side, making it difficult for his opponent to hit him. He sways and leans back to avoid punches. He has long arms so it’s easy for judges to score his points. Of all the Filipino fighters in the national pool, Tipon has the best chance of winning the gold medal in Beijing."

Somluck is Thailand’s first Olympic gold medalist. He captured the gold as a featherweight at the 1996 Games. Somluck also fought in 2000 and 2004 but failed to earn a medal in both Olympics.

Jalnaiz said it’s only a matter of time before a Filipino boxer wins an Olympic gold medal. He cited Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president Manny Lopez’ development program as the key to clinching the gold.

"The ABAP has a good program," said Jalnaiz. "Sooner or later, the gold will come. Manny Pacquiao’s success has brought widespread interest in boxing. More and more Filipinos are hoping to become like Manny. There are amateur fights everywhere and the young boxers are very talented."

Jalnaiz himself is involved in training simonpures in Cagayan de Oro where he is based as a Philippine Army master sergeant assigned at Camp Evangelista. He is detailed to Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno and helps out in the provincial sports program with consultant Val Rosabal.

Jalnaiz, 40, took a bronze as a flyweight at the 1987 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and a gold as a bantamweight in 1991. He competed at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics. His claim to fame was bagging the country’s only gold at the 1990 Asian Games where the haul included two silvers and seven bronzes.

At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Jalnaiz lost a 4-1 decision to Hungary’s Janos Varadi in his first and only bout. Four years later, he got off to a hot start, stopping Agustin Castillo of the Dominican Republic and Philippe Wartelle of France to advance to the quarterfinals. But Jalnaiz fell short of a bronze after he ran into Cuba’s Joel Casamayor, now the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight champion.

"I lost because of inexperience," said Jalnaiz. "I was leading on points in the first round when the referee ordered a break. I stepped back with my arms down then Casamayor hit me. I couldn’t recover from the punch." Casamayor scored a knockout at 2:01 of the first round.