GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Fresh from capturing the gold medal in the World Cup, lightflyweight boxer Harry Tañamor said yesterday he’ll bring Manny Pacquiao’s heart into the ring if given the chance to fight at the London Olympics in 2012.
Tañamor, 30, said he’ll make sure of bagging a medal in London after failing in Athens and Beijing. But first, there are qualifying tournaments he must hurdle.
Under Olympic rules, the maximum age for boxing is 34 so Tañamor is within the limit.
Tañamor flew here on a private PLDT Beechcraft plane with Smart sports executive director Patrick Gregorio, POC chairman Rep. Monico Puentevella, former WBC lightweight champion David Diaz and WBA superfeatherweight titleholder Edwin Valero to attend Pacquiao’s 30th birthday party the other night.
The group presented Pacquiao with a framed copy of a one-page ad celebrating his victory over Oscar de la Hoya, a cutout of The STAR’s front page photo of the fight and a personal message from PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan.
Tañamor left to compete in the World Cup in Russia the day Pacquiao halted De la Hoya in Las Vegas.
“I was in the plane when Manny fought De la Hoya so I wasn’t able to watch the fight but I got a text that he won as soon as I landed in Russia,” said Tañamor in Filipino. “Manny’s my inspiration. Unlike in Beijing where there was so much pressure, I was relaxed in the World Cup. All I wanted to do was to beat up my opponents.
“My left hand swelled after the semifinals but coach Ronald (Chavez) told me to ignore the pain because my next fight was for the gold.”
Tañamor said despite the swollen hand, he had no difficulty trouncing Cuba’s Yampier Hernandez, 15-7, in the finals. He previously beat Tajikistan’s Murodjon Rasulov, 8-4, in the quarters and Poland’s Lukasz Masczczyk, 12-4, in the semis.
Tañamor was eliminated in his first bout against Ghana’s Manyo Plange in Beijing.
“I couldn’t understand why the judges ignored my punches,” he said. “I was frustrated. My coaches told me to pressure and throw a lot of punches. I thought I hit him enough but the judges wouldn’t give me points.
In the end, even Plange thought I won. My dream to win the gold became a nightmare. I’ve got one more chance in London if I qualify. After winning the World Cup, my confidence is back. If I fight like Manny, I know I’ll win.”
Tañamor and Pacquiao go back many years. They started out as amateurs training at Rizal Memorial. Last year, he joined Pacquiao in visiting soldiers in battlegrounds in Jolo. Tañamor and Pacquiao are Philippine Army sergeants.
“Manny is my idol,” said Tañamor. “I arrived from Russia the day before Mr. Gregorio took me to General Santos to attend Manny’s birthday party. I was lucky to be able to greet him.”
Tañamor said unlike Pacquiao, he has little savings from his meager earnings. His monthly pay is P15,000 from the Philippine Sports Commission and P12,000 from the Army. Tañamor, however, gets a windfall whenever he wins in an international competition. For claiming a silver at the Asian Games in Busan, he got about P1 Million. And each of his three Southeast Asian Games gold medals was worth a bonus of P100,000. For his World Cup title, he has been promised a first prize of $10,000.
With his bonuses, Tañamor bought a two-bedroom townhouse in Casimiro Village, Las Piñas, where his wife Jocynie and their children Mary Joy, 7, and Harry Jr., 3, live. Tañamor operated a six-computer internet cafe for two years but closed it down temporarily to concentrate on his boxing career.
One of nine children, Tañamor was suspended from participating in the Doha Asian Games in 2006 for disciplinary reasons. Tañamor said it was a case of misunderstanding. He claimed to be sick and asked to be excused from practice and competing in a Vietnam tournament preparatory to Doha but it was taken against him because his plane ticket was non-refundable.
Tañamor was given a chance for redemption at the World Championships last year and won a silver medal to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.
“I’m determined to go to London,” said Tañamor. “I’m ready to fight. I’ll fight in the National Open in Bacolod next month. I’ll fight in the Southeast Asian and Asian Games. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it back to the Olympics.”