Tañamor, Basadre closer to earning Olympic slots
Light flyweight Harry Tañamor and lightweight Genebert Basadre need only a win apiece to get to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, having dominated their opponents at the World Boxing Championships on Sunday (Monday in the Philippines) in Chicago, Illinois.
Tañamor mauled Nasir Mohammed of Wales, 24-5, while Basadre whipped Faraj Al-Matboli of Jordan, 29-7, to advance to the Round of 16, according to a statement issued by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP).
Flyweight Violito Payla, another member of the RP-PLDT-Smart Boxing Team, had earlier made it to that round.
The tournament, sanctioned by the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA, or the International Boxing Association), serves as a qualifier to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The tournament is being held at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion.
Quarterfinalists to the Chicago event will advance to Beijing, according to the AIBA.
Basadre bucked two warnings given by the referee. A third warning would have meant disqualification for Basadre, a native of Cagayan de Oro City.
Tañamor dominated the bout right from the opening buzzer to frustrate the hard-fighting Welshman.
A veteran of the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics, Tañamor surged ahead by 10, scoring 13-3 at the end of second round before securing the win with a flurry of punches which stopped Mohammed, 20-5, early in the fourth and final round.
Head coach Pat Gaspi said Tañamor, a 29-year-old native of Zamboanga City, is peaking at the right time.
''Harry's improving and will be in peak form come his next fight,'' Gaspi said.
Tañamor faces 2005 World Championships bronze medalist Sherali Dostiev, while Payla tests Rau'shee Warren, a rising star in the United States boxing team, in the Round of 16.
In other developments, three Romanian boxers, including their coach and manager were sent home Sunday and slapped with lifetime bans for acts detrimental to amateur boxing.
According to AIBA president Ching Kuo Wu, the three boxers were caught shoplifting at an upscale Chicago department store.
''The new AIBA will not tolerate this kind of behavior among its member-nations," Wu said. "Their act is a disgrace to the number one Olympic sport.''
Wu met team officials and coaches for the second time in four days at the Palmer House Hilton.
The incident came two days after an urgent meeting called by Wu following the defection of two Ugandan and one Armenian boxers.
''All of us have the responsibility to maintain the integrity of AIBA. USA Boxing is doing a good job and we must help in ensuring the success of this tournament,'' Wu said. - GMANews.TV
Tañamor mauled Nasir Mohammed of Wales, 24-5, while Basadre whipped Faraj Al-Matboli of Jordan, 29-7, to advance to the Round of 16, according to a statement issued by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP).
Flyweight Violito Payla, another member of the RP-PLDT-Smart Boxing Team, had earlier made it to that round.
The tournament, sanctioned by the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA, or the International Boxing Association), serves as a qualifier to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The tournament is being held at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion.
Quarterfinalists to the Chicago event will advance to Beijing, according to the AIBA.
Basadre bucked two warnings given by the referee. A third warning would have meant disqualification for Basadre, a native of Cagayan de Oro City.
Tañamor dominated the bout right from the opening buzzer to frustrate the hard-fighting Welshman.
A veteran of the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics, Tañamor surged ahead by 10, scoring 13-3 at the end of second round before securing the win with a flurry of punches which stopped Mohammed, 20-5, early in the fourth and final round.
Head coach Pat Gaspi said Tañamor, a 29-year-old native of Zamboanga City, is peaking at the right time.
''Harry's improving and will be in peak form come his next fight,'' Gaspi said.
Tañamor faces 2005 World Championships bronze medalist Sherali Dostiev, while Payla tests Rau'shee Warren, a rising star in the United States boxing team, in the Round of 16.
In other developments, three Romanian boxers, including their coach and manager were sent home Sunday and slapped with lifetime bans for acts detrimental to amateur boxing.
According to AIBA president Ching Kuo Wu, the three boxers were caught shoplifting at an upscale Chicago department store.
''The new AIBA will not tolerate this kind of behavior among its member-nations," Wu said. "Their act is a disgrace to the number one Olympic sport.''
Wu met team officials and coaches for the second time in four days at the Palmer House Hilton.
The incident came two days after an urgent meeting called by Wu following the defection of two Ugandan and one Armenian boxers.
''All of us have the responsibility to maintain the integrity of AIBA. USA Boxing is doing a good job and we must help in ensuring the success of this tournament,'' Wu said. - GMANews.TV
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