Barriga pummels Uzbek rival, enters final

MANILA, Philippines - Olympics-bound Mark Anthony Barriga re-asserted his mastery over Shahobidin Zoirov and came away with a 13-10 victory to advance to the finals of the Sydney Jackson Memorial boxing tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan Thursday.

Barriga counter-punched his way to a 4-2 lead in the opening round then the Panabo, Davao del Norte native stepped up his attack with slick sidestepping moves coupled with crisp left hooks that disoriented Zoirov in the second round.

The wily Filipino fighter, who also beat Zoirov in last year’s finals here, then eased up a bit in the final round, opting to conserve his strength and energy for the gold medal bout in the light flyweight division.

The lone Filipino boxer to qualify for this year’s London Olympics faces another London-bound fighter, the power-punching David Ayrapetyan of Russia in the finals.

“He’s highly motivated and is focused in training. Although he has a tough opponent, he’s really pumped up,” said ABAP executive director Ed Picson of Barriga.

But while the top PLDT-ABAP team bet advanced, flyweight Ian Clark Bautista fell short of his bid, dropping a 4-8 decision to Uzbek Shexriyor Isakov. 

An injured left hand that resulted in a strained shoulder muscle during the fight did not help as the 17-year-old from Negros Occidental practically fought with one hand in the last two rounds.

The first round was even at 2 before Isakov went ahead, 5-3, in the second. Bautista settled for bronze medal.