'Make way for 'Little Pacquiao'

LONDON – Light flyweight boxer Mark Anthony Barriga is out to erase the nightmarish memory of Harry Tañamor’s first round exit at the Beijing Olympics four years ago as the teenager from Panabo, Davao del Norte, battles to survive his initial test against Italian Manuel Cappai at the ExCel South Arena here today.

Like Tañamor in Beijing, Barriga is the country’s lone boxer here. But according to Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) executive director Ed Picson, the 19-year-old fighter isn’t affected by the pressure. Tañamor lost a 6-3 verdict to unheralded Ghanaian Manyo Plange and was bundled out of contention early in the 2008 Olympics. Barriga hopes he doesn’t suffer the same fate and wants to show why the light flyweight division is the country’s favorite as it has been the source of the last three Olympic medals by a Filipino dating back to 1988.

Picson said during his three-week training in Cardiff, Wales, preparatory to checking in at the Athletes Village, Barriga was dubbed the “Little Pacquiao” for his ring antics. There were 43 fighters from so-called emerging countries invited by the UK government to train for the Olympics.   

“Mark made a name for himself in Cardiff,” said Picson who followed Barriga and coach Roel Velasco in Wales. “He sparred a total of 24 rounds in eight sessions. Mark was the smallest fighter in the camp and the crowd favorite. He’s a thinking fighter, very smart, very disciplined. One of the fighters he toyed with in sparring was Thomas Essomba of Cameroon. Mark is ranked only No. 33 compared to Essomba who’s No. 4 but it was clear that Mark is the better fighter. In Baguio, Mark used to go to the Shape-Up Gym to watch Manny (Pacquiao) train and picked up a few things from Manny like grunting whenever he throws a punch. He’s confident. He’s not nervous.”

At the Athletes Village, Barriga is staying fit with light training 1 1/2 hours a day. “Weight isn’t a problem with Mark,” said Picson. “Instead of working out in the gym, he just mitts, skips rope and shadow boxes in the second floor courtyard of the nine-level building where we share a three-bedroom suite with Roel. The gym is a distance away so we stay close to our suite. Mark doesn’t go out, he just stays in and rests. At the practice weigh-in the other day, Mark was 48.4 kilograms. He’ll make 49 easily.”

As for Cappai, Picson said he fights like defending world champion and Barriga’s nemesis Zou Shiming of China. “Mark is listed 5-2 and Cappai 5-6 so he comes in with a big height advantage,” said Picson. “They’re both 19 but Cappai is about nine months older. We’ve watched him in action on YouTube and Roel thinks he’s slower than Mark. He won the bronze medal in the last European Championships. Cappai likes to switch-hit like most Italian orthodox boxers. Mark’s not taking anybody lightly. We’ve talked to him and he’s very focused, not just on Zou but on anyone he fights. It’s dangerous to prepare for only one fighter or only one style. In Olympic boxing, you anticipate the un-anticipatable. You prepare for all.”

If Barriga overcomes Cappai, he’ll advance to face the winner of the match between Kazakhstan’s Birzhan Zhakypov and France’s Jeremy Beccu. And if he prevails again, Barriga will enter the quarterfinals to battle either Zou or Cuba’s Yosvanni Veitia Soto. It will take five straight wins to capture the gold.

“Even if Mark is ranked only No. 33, a lot of fighters in his division respect him,” said Picson. “You’ll never know what can happen in the ring. Zou, for instance, is in his third Olympics and he’s now 31. Of course, he’s the defending Olympic gold medalist. He has won three world championships. He’s a very wily fighter but Mark is shifty and smart. If they meet in the quarterfinals, I think Mark has a chance to beat him.”  

Last Saturday, Barriga stayed up until 1 a.m. to join the parade at the opening ceremony. He managed to take a photo with one of his basketball idols Carmelo Anthony. At the Athletes Village cafeteria, he posed for a photo with Spanish cager Pau Gasol who’s 7-feet tall. Barriga reached up to Gasol’s chest.

Picson said Filipino Dante de Castro is in the roster of 35 referees and judges assigned to work the fights here. But there is no way anyone is able to contact De Castro or any of the other officials. “They’re incommunicado,” said Picson. “They had to surrender their cell phones. AIBA wants to make sure they’re not influenced by anybody. We’re proud that a Filipino is among the world’s best referees and judges.”