Suarez blows Olympic bid

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine men’s boxing team will come home empty-handed from the AIBA Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Kazakhstan.

After two spectacular wins over the last three days, lightweight Charly Suarez bowed to Chinese veteran Qiang Liu in their gold-medal bout, 15-11, yesterday.

It was a painful defeat for the 23-year-old Suarez who carried the brunt for the Philippines after four other Pinoy hopefuls fell by the wayside in Astana.

The Philippines banked heavily on Suarez in the finals because a victory would have given him a ticket to the London Olympics scheduled July 27-Aug. 12.

But Liu, at 5-foot-10 a couple of inches taller than Suarez, dashed his Olympic dream, dictating the early tempo and taking a 3-1 lead after the first of three rounds en route to victory.

Mark Anthony Barriga will be the only Filipino boxer in the next Olympics, earning his slot, via the backdoor, during last year’s World Championships.

Meanwhile, the lone Asian qualifying tournament for women will take place next month in China. Unless someone from the Philippines makes it, Barriga will be all alone in London.

Suarez was probably told he was trailing so he pressed his attack in the second round. But all he earned was a warning from the referee for a low blow in the final 30 seconds.

Liu was ahead, 8-4, entering the final round, and opted to keep his distance. But he almost paid the price when Suarez tagged him and was given a standing eight count.

Liu bled from the nose and the ring doctor had to check on him. But time ran out on Suarez. The five judges scored the third round at 7-apiece.

The referee raised Liu’s hand after the final score was announced, and Suarez looked disappointed. He should be because he just lost his chance to make it to the Olympics.

Others who tried but failed in Astana were bantamweight Joegin Ladon, welterweight Wilfredo Lopez, flyweight Rey Saludar at lightwelterweight Dennis Galvan.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, only lightfly Harry Tanamor qualified for the Philippines. But his stint did not last long as he lost in his opening bout.

The best years for the Philippines in the Olympics came in 1988 in Seoul, 1992 in Barcelona and 1996 in Atlanta when Leopoldo Serrantes, Roel Velasco and Onyok Velasco won medals.

In 1964 in Tokyo, featherweight Anthony Villanueva also won a silver for the Philippines.

Serrantes led a six-man team to win the bronze in Seoul. Five Pinoys made it to Barcelona where Roel Velasco took another bronze, until his younger brother, Onyok, won the silver in Atlanta where also five Pinoy boxers qualified.

In the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, the Philippines sent four-man teams, and it was in 2008 when only one boxer in Tanamor advanced.