Sun.Star: What's bugging Joan Tipon?

BACOLOD CITY - Joan Tipon's first round loss to his Thai opponent in the ongoing AIBA World Amateur Boxing Championships in Chicago deserves a long, hard look, according to 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games gold medalist Elias Recaido Jr. who is now a member of the RP team coaching staff. "Joan is definitely still our best bet for a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics if only he is able to qualify in any of the remaining qualifying events. But first of all I think we need to take a closer look at what's ailing him (Tipon) so that we can still work things out to prepare him for the next qualifying," Recaido told Sun.Star Bacolod in a phone interview last night. Recaido, who gifted the country with one of three Hiroshima Asiad boxing golds together with fellow Negrenses Manueto 'Onyok' Velasco, Jr. and Reynaldo Galido, hinted that Tipon might be suffering from something psychological. "Baka may kinalaman 'to sa pagkatalo niya sa Czech Republic at sa National Open kasi wala naman akong maisip na maging sagabal sa focus o concentration ni Joan," Recaido said. Recaido had earlier told this writer that he is helping prepare Tipon for a possible Olympics stint by sharing to him his own experience when he competed along with Velasco in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Recaido stressed that ABAP (Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines) officials should pay close attention to the state of Tipon because if he fails to nail an Olympics berth through any of the remaining qualifying events "it will be a big blow to the country's quest for a first-ever Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008. Two-time Olympian Harry Tañamor and Genebert Basadre are the two remaining RP boxers still in contention in the Chicago World Boxing Championships after both reached the round of 16. Bantamweight Tipon, of Sitio Sibucao, Barangay Banago, Bacolod City, and flyweight Violito Payla were the two gold medalists for the Philippines in the 2006 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. Tipon is a former child prodigy of the Negros Amateur Boxing Association (NABA) headed by former Bacolod councilor Juan Ramon 'Monju' Guanzon. - Sun.Star