Basadre gets into q'finals of Olympic boxing qualifier

Lightweight Genebert Basadre made it to the quarterfinals of the Asian Olympic Boxing Qualifying Tournament on Monday, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP). But compatriot Joan Tipon failed to make the cut the tournament being held at the Sports Palace in Astana, Kazakhtan. The 24-year-old Basadre overpowered Paulus Paunandes of Malaysia, 21-2, to barge into the quarterfinals of the lightweight (60-kg) division. Basadre's victory came after Tipon, a Doha Asian Games bantamweight gold medalist, suffered a 30-8 defeat in the hand of from H. Todjivayev of Uzbekhistan. "Hindi si Joan yang naglaro ngayon," lamented Philippine head coach Pat Gaspi, who ended up marking his 46th birthday Monday in a somber note."Mabuti na lang at nanalo si Genebert. Medyo maganda pa rin ang araw ko." Basadre, a bronze medalist in the Doha Asian Games in 2006, controlled his four-round match early, repeatedly scoring with his counterpunch-backoff-attack stance that completely kept his Malaysian opponent off-sync. Tipon fell prey to the counterpunches of Todjibayev – and suffered points deduction in the second and third rounds for what the referee perceived were illegal elbowing and clinching. "Talo talaga kahit hindi tinulungan ng referee," ABAP president Manny Lopez said. "He was not the Tipon we know in that fight. He was not focused for that fight." Even Cuban consultant Juan Enrique Steyners Tissert was surprised by Tipon's performance. "I don't know what happened to Tipon," Tissert said. "He was very good in sparring, training, but he lost all his shots in the fight. His mind was not in the fight." The three other members of the team – flyweight Godfrey Castro, featherweight Orlando Tacuyan Jr., and light welterweight Delfin Boholst – will try to carry the momentum of Basadre's victory on Tuesday when they wade into battle. Castro tangles with Giesidin Saliev of Kyrgiztan, Tacuyan faces Taiwanese Chung Chun-an, and Boholst goes up against Uranchimeg Munkh-Erdene of Mongolia. - GMANews.TV