ABAP fetes triumphant SEAG pugs

MANILA, Philippines - Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Patrick Gregorio said yesterday the country’s fighting squad of six men and four women will be feted in a thanksgiving party at the Rizal Memorial badminton hall tomorrow afternoon for bringing home five gold medals, a silver and three bronzes from the 25th Southeast (SEA) Asian Games in Laos.

ABAP president Ricky Vargas was in Laos with Gregorio and ABAP vice president Manny Lopez when the Philippines more than made up for a lackluster showing of a gold, 12 silvers and two bronzes at the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand.

There were 17 gold medals at stake in boxing in Thailand and 15 in Laos.

While the Philippines held back in losing 12 of 13 finals to protest brazen “home cooking” two years ago, the effort went beyond the call of duty in Vientiane. ABAP executive director Ed Picson said the performance was a portent of things to come as he looked forward to the Asian Games in Guangzhou next year and the 2012 London Olympics where women’s competition will be introduced.

Although the Philippines dominated the women’s division by taking three of four gold medals available, Thailand remained the overall king of the ring with a total haul of seven gold and three bronze medals.

Thai fighters swept their assignments in seven finals, six in the men’s division.

In all, Thailand captured 10 medals compared to the Philippines’ nine, Malaysia’s three (with two gold medals) and Laos’ 10 (a gold, four silvers and five bronzes). Vietnam and Indonesia also bagged medals but none gold.

The Philippine medalists were in the women’s division, pinweight Josie Gabuco (gold), flyweight Alice Kate Aparri (gold), bantamweight Annie Albania (gold) and featherweight Mitchel Martinez (bronze) and in the men’s division, pinweight Bill Vicera (gold), lightflyweight Harry Tañamor (silver), flyweight Rey Saludar (bronze), featherweight Charly Suarez (gold) and lightwelterweight Joegin Ladon (bronze).

The only fighter in the national team without a medal was bantamweight Joan Tipon who lost a 9-4 decision to eventual gold medalist Chatchai Butdee of Thailand in the quarterfinals.

Picson said on the whole, judging was fair except in Saludar’s case where he lost a highly disputed 9-4 decision to hometowner Xayyaphone Chantasone after scoring a standing eight-count in the first round and opening a 4-1 lead. The judges turned a blind eye to Saludar in the last two rounds and didn’t add to his tally at all, allowing the Laotian to bounce back for the win.

In amateur boxing, men fight in three rounds of three minutes each while women battle in four rounds of two minutes each.

Two other instances of spotty officiating were apparent. In Aparri’s finals match against Laos’ Milvady Hongfa, she was penalized for excessive ducking – without warning – and two points were added to her opponent’s score. It didn’t really matter as Aparri had erected a 4-0 lead in the first round and won handily, 15-4. The other case involved Suarez in his semifinal duel with Thai roughhouser Wuttichai Masuk. Suarez was struck by at least four low blows, one of which dropped him to his knees and triggered an eight-count. Masuk could’ve been disqualified for foul tactics but Suarez had to weather the dirty tricks to hack out a convincing 13-5 verdict. It was sweet revenge for Suarez who was outpointed by Masuk in another foul-marred fight in the King’s Cup quarterfinals in Bangkok last April.

“Mr. Vargas was happy with our performance as we met our target of five golds,” said Picson. “We managed to perform very well in the SEA Games after only 11 months in office.”

Picson singled out Suarez and Aparri as the team’s most impressive performers.

Suarez, 22, was untouchable in Laos. He pulverized Timor Leste’s Manuel Batisia in a single round in his first match. It took about a minute before Batisia got up from the canvas after the brutal knockout. Then, Suarez clearly outclassed Masuk and in the finals, he scored another knockout – a rarity in the amateurs because fighters wear protective headgear – to dispose of Cambodia’s Phal Sophat in two rounds. Gregorio described Suarez’ win over Sophat as a massacre.

Aparri, 25, decked Vietnam’s Ngo Thi Phuang with a vicious right in the opening round of her first appearance in Laos and prompted a quick stoppage because of the severity of the head blow. She hit Ngo so hard that her right hand swelled. Aparri was in pain when she battled Thailand’s Dueannapha Ngamlam in the semifinals. Despite the swollen right hand, Aparri floored Dueannapha in the second round. The fight ended in a tie, 2-2, but Aparri got the judges nod on the basis of a count-back. In the finals, she bucked an undeserved penalty to whip Honfa for the gold, scoring a pair of standing eight-counts to assert her mastery.

The Philippines’ scorecard showed 15 wins and only four losses. Thailand and the Philippines were dead even in their head-to-head encounters with three wins and three losses apiece. Picson paid tribute to the coaches who worked behind the scenes – Pat Gaspi, Nolito Velasco and Ronald Chavez for the men and Glicerio (Boy) Catolico and Roel Velasco for the women.

Saludar, Ladon and Martinez failed to win a single fight but claimed a bronze anyway because of the dearth of entries in their divisions.

Of six Philippine finalists, only Tañamor failed to deliver. Tañamor, 32, trounced Myanmar’s 19-year-old Htet Aung, 12-4, in the semifinals but couldn’t pull the rug from under Thailand’s Kaeo Pongprayoon in the battle for gold, losing a 3-1 decision.

Picson said he will assess the future of each fighter in the national pool with the coaching staff upon their return home.

The ABAP conducted box-offs to fairly determine the composition of the SEA Games team. It will hold similar box-offs before deciding on whom to send for the Asian Games next year and the 2012 London Olympics with 13 gold medals at stake, 10 for men and three for women.