Tanamor equipped to face all comers

BEIJING – Boxer Harry Tañamor will be up against an African warrior he has never met before but he said he is well-equipped to face him and any fighter on his way to a gold medal in the light flyweight (48kg) division of the Olympic boxing competitions.

“May mga bala na ang mga coach ko para sa akin (My coaches have fully armed me),” said Tañamor, who is facing African champion Many Plange of Ghana in the round of 32 at the Workers’ Gymnasium tomorrow.

Boxing president Manny Lopez said the coaches had also trained him at night to simulate the night playing conditions in the first four rounds of the boxing bouts.

Competitions from the first round to the semifinals will be held at night while the finals are set in the morning to give way to the requirements of US prime time television.

The Zamboanga fighter, who is celebrating his 31st birthday on Aug. 20, will be looking for no less than the first country’s first Olympic gold since 1924.

The country’s best Olympic performance is two silvers – by Anthony Villanueva in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco in 1996.

“This is not my last Olympics. I still have the strength for London or the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games but I will treat this like it’s my last,” said Tañamor, who entered the Olympics by the front door, having won the silver medal in the world qualifying tournament in Chicago last year.

If he wins, his  round of 16 opponent will either be Bouchtouk of Morocco or Paulo Carvalho of Brazil.

From there on, it will be an uphill climb. If he wins every step of the way, his probable opponents will be Cuban Yampier Hernandez,  American Luis Yanez or Russian David Ayrapetyan in the quarterfinals, Thailand champion  Amnat Ruenrong in the semifinals or  2007 world champion Chinese Zhou Shiming in the finals.

Shimimg, his country’s top bet for a gold, had the best luck of the draw as he avoided the best fighters from Russia, the US, Thailand, Cuba and the Philippines in the earlier stages of the event.