Another Filipino advances in world boxing finals

MILAN - Team Philippines maintained its strong start when it sent another fighter to the next round of the 15th Aiba World Amateur Boxing championships at the Mediolanum Forum.

Featherweight Charly Suarez joins other Filipino pugs Joan Tipon and Genebert Basadre to the round-of-32 after acing his first-round match defeating a much taller Romanian Iulian Stan, 18-8.

“Nilabanan ko ng sabayan kahit na mas malaki siya. Buti nagsitama ang mga suntok ko,” said Suarez after the victory—the most convincing so far by the five-member Filipino squad in the 144-nation tournament.

“Both his defense and offense were good. Even if his opponent is bigger, his jabs did not connect because of Charly’s defense,’’ said head coach Pat Gaspi.

The 21-year-old Suarez, who is on his fifth year as a member of the national team, joined lightflyweight Tañamor, bantamweight Tipon and light welterweight Basadre in the next round.

Among the three, Tañamor, the two-time Olympian, had the easiest time as he advanced to the next round after enjoying a first-round bye. His first match will be against Hoyhannes Danielyan.

Basadre, a 5-1winner over Pakistan’s Aamir Khan Tuesday, is set to meet Brazilian Myke Carvajo in the next round of the light welterweight division.

Tipon, who debuted with a scrambling 8-3 decision over Sri Lanka’s Kamal Gamaethira-lalage, will face Algerian Abdelhalim Ouradi.

The 5-foot-6 Suarez, who was discovered in the National Open in 2003 in Tagbilaran, Bohol, built a 4-2 lead in the first round and kept padding it as he repeatedly out hit the Romanian.

In the third and final round, he came away with a couple of 1-2 combinations as the clock expired.

Suarez will be fighting another taller opponent in the next round. He is set to battle South Korea’s Joo Min Jae.

The unorthodox Joo, who is about five inches taller than Suarez, used his height to good use to escape with a 9-2 decision over Etonia’s Vladimir Nikiforov.

RP pugs work out right after long trip

AMSTERDAM – The five-man Philippine team worked out on Saturday night, drawing praises from head coach Pat Gaspi for its spirited effort during the hour-long practice barely hours after arriving in Milan, Italy from a long, tiring trip from Havana,Cuba via Paris.

Headed by two-time Olympian Harry Tañamor, the Filipino boxers shadowboxed, skipped ropes, punched mitts, hit the heavy bags and did some road work during an hour-long workout as they prepared for the 2009 AIBA World amateur boxing championship which opens in beautiful Milan on Monday.

‘’Maayos ang practice nila kanina maski mahaba at nakakapagod yung trip papunta dito (Milan),’’ said Gaspi in a text message to Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines executive-director Ed Picson, who missed his connecting flight to Milan along with assistant coach Ronald Chavez on Saturday evening.

‘’Nasa kundisyon lahat sila. Handa nang lumaban,’’ said Gaspi, a national team boxer in the late 70s, in another text message to Picson.

In a talk with Filipino journalists, Picson said the Pinoy boxers are rarin’ to go.

‘’They are ready to fight anytime. The only thing they complain about are homesickness and the absence of native food,’’ he said.

To solve this problem, he and Chavez brought with them bottled tuyo, sardines, corned beef and noodles, something which the boxers have been craving for after only a few days of stay in Havana.

With Tañamor (light flyweight) on the team are Joan Tipon (bantamweight) Charlie Suarez (featherweight) , Genebert Basadre (Iight welterweight ) and Jeogin Lagon (lightweight), who arrived in Milan after a 14-hour journey from Havana where they trained for almost a month under Cuban coaches Enrique Steyners Tissert and Dagoberto Roxas Scott and sparred with boxers from Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba.

They are among the more than 500 fighters from all over the world competing in this 12-day tournament, which is acknowledged as the second biggest, most prestigious tournament in amateur boxing next to the Olympic Games and producer of amateur greats like Teofilio Stevenson and Felix Savon of Cuba.

Who will climb the ring first among the Filipino boxers, backed by PLDT Global Corp. under Manny V. Pangilinan and Al Panlilio and the Philippine Sports Commission under Ambassador Harry Angping, will not be known until Monday morning when the first day pairings are made during the drawing of lots.

Pecson and Chavez, along with a few other passengers, missed the connecting flight from here to Milan after airline personnel failed to properly inform them of the changes in the boarding gate assignments, leaving them with no choice but to spend the night at the airport hotel.

P1 million for boxing gold in World Championships

MANILA, Philippines - A cash incentive of P1 million for a gold medal awaits Filipino fighters who will win the gold in the Senior World Boxing Championships set Sept. 1-12 in Milan, Italy.

The Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, led by chairman Manny V. Pangilinan and president Ricky Vargas, made the announcement a few days before a five-man RP team left Havana, where the boxers had been training, for Milan.

ABAP executive director Ed Picson also said a silver medal is worth P500,000 and a bronze P250,000.

“This should go a long way in providing our boxers some motivation outside the desire to bring honor to the country,” said Picson.

Of nine boxers currently in training in Havana, Cuba, five were chosen to banner the Philippine campaign in Milan.

They are light flyweight Harry Tañamor, bantamweight Joan Tipon, featherweight Charly Suarez, lightweight Joegin Ladon, and light welterweight Genebert Basadre.

PLDT Global Corp., an international company under the umbrella of the giant PLDT-Smart conglomerate, is a major sponsor of the Philippine participation in the tournament via their mobile phone service Smart Pinoy, which services OFW’s in Italy, Hongkong and Singapore.

Al Panlilio, PLDT Global Corporation president, expressed elation at the chance to provide assistance.

“We feel honored with this opportunity to backstop our Filipino boxers in this epic international battle. We hope our humble contribution to this national effort will bring honor and pride to our people,” he said. Picson said that while the Philippine Sports Commission headed by chairman Harry Angping funded the boxers’ trip, all other incidental expenses are being borne by Smart Pinoy.

RP boxers fly straight to Milan from Havana

MANILA, Philippines - From Havana, five Philippine boxers will head straight to the World Boxing Championship in Milan Aug.28, with the rest returning to Manila a week from now for more training in preparation for the Laos Southeast Asian Games in December.

Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines executive director Ed Picson, who accompanied the boxers to Cuba, said another trip is under negotiation with the Philippine Sports Commission to include women boxers for a stint in China.

“This is timely as the International Olympic Committee has officially announced the inclusion of women’s boxing in the London Olympics in 2012,” Picson said.

Bankrolled by PSC chairman Harry Angping and PLDT-Smart top honcho Manny V. Pangilinan, also the ABAP head, the national boxers, supervised by head coach Pat Gaspi and Cuban consultants Enrique Steyners and Dagoberto Scott, have slugged it out with top-rate Cuban and Venezuelan fighters right after they arrived.

Leaving Manila in two batches via Singapore and Paris last Aug. 7, the Filipinos flew in after more than 36 hours in transit, and had a Sunday off spent hearing mass at the old Virgen de la Merced Church in Havana Vieja.

The following day, Olympian Harry Tañamor, Joan Tipon, Genebert Basadre, Joegin Ladon, Charly Suarez, Rey Saludar, Aston Palicte, Jameboy Vicera and Gerson Nietes buckled down to work at the Bolleros gym, a rundown district with dilapidated facilities, poor ventilation and no electricity.

The Cuban national team trains there daily under the watchful eyes of their experienced coaches, led by acting head coach Honorato Espinosa, who once worked with North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Piñol on his boxing program.

Raul Fernandez Liranza, another Cuban coach who spent time with the RP team, also welcomed the national boxers on their arrival. Liranza holds class at the University of Sports and has also returned to be part of the Cuban coaching staff, Picson said.

“The Venezuelans were in town and they joined the Cubans in testing the mettle of our travel-weary Filipinos,” Picson said. “The French had just left and their head coach expressed regret that they were unable to spar with our boys. The British were there a week before and the Brazilian boxers were scheduled to arrive end of the week.”