4 Pinoys vie for final as Bacho falls

SUBIC, Philippines – Bantamweight Jonas Bacho dropped a heartbreaking setback to Uzbekistan’s Nurusuitan Nisanbaev, leaving the hosts with four fighters to vie for the crown in the 2013 ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships at the Subic gym here yesterday.

Eyeing no less than a semifinal slot, Bacho went for it but fell short in the end, losing to the crisp-punching Nisanbaev by the thinnest of margins, 8-9, and leaving the gold medal hunt to flyweight Jade Bornea, light welterweight Eumir Felix Marcial, flyweight Ian Clark Bautista and lightweight James Palicte.

Bornea, the country’s brightest hope, clashes with Turkmenistan’s Shatlykmyrat Myradov, Marcial tackles Uzbekistan’s Anvar Turamov, Bautista faces off with Japan’s Masaya Kobayashi, and Palicte collides with Mongolia’s Norobal Otgontumuk for berths in the finals.

Boxing chief Ricky Vargas and executive director Ed Picson both liked their wards’ chances heading to the semifinal bouts.

“Our main focus here was to stage a successful tournament that our guests would remember fondly; by what we hear, we may have achieved that,” said Vargas, who will cheer on the Filipino fighters in Friday’s semis and Saturday’s championship round. 

“But having four of our five boxers in the semis proves our grassroots development program is on the right track,” he added.

“I couldn’t ask for more,” Picson, for his part, said. “Yes, it hurts that Bacho missed making the semis by just a mere point but we’re happy he gave his best, it’s just he fell short in the end.

“Our next target now is the finals, and we’re confident our boys will go hard to just to make it that far,” he added.

Focus will be on Bornea, the 2012 World Youth Boxing Championship bronze medal winner in Armenia, who reached this far after overpowering Rakhmankul Avatov of Kyrgyzstan, 16-6, in their quarters bout.

On the other hand, Marcial, a 2011 World Youth champion, repulsed Wang Quingcui of China, 19-11, while Bautista and Palicte pulled off contrasting results against Kazakhstan’s Sagidyk Moldashev, 25-7, and India’s Nagesh A Kharare, 10-7, respectively.

Uzbekistan has the most number boxers in the semis with seven while Kazakhstan has five, one ahead of the Phl, Japan, China and India.

Mongolia and Iran have three pugs in the semis, Iraq two while Vietnam, Kyrgyzhstan, Jordan and Turkmenistan have one each.

Failing to make it in the Last 4 are Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, Syria, Singapore, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Macau, North Korea and Nepal.

Myradov advanced by beating Iran’s Houman Taghanihoulari, 22-8; Turamov crushed Kyrgyzstan’s Izatillo Shermakhammadov, 28-9; Kobayashi plastered Turkmenistan’s Yazmyrat Gurbanov, 18-11; and Otgontumuk outclassed North Korea’s Hyok Jang, 22-7.

The event is backed by the MVP Sports Foundation, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, PLDT, Smart, NLEX, Maynilad, Clarktel, Subictel, Department of Tourism, Tourism Promotions Board, Videogear Inc., Exile Lights and Sound, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Philippine Sports Commission, and supported by Sony Philippines, Nestle Philippines, and Trame Oil & Environmental Specialist.