Tañamor retires, Tipon doubtful for 2010 Asiad

Veterans Harry Tañamor and Joan Tipon are out of the Philippine boxing team to the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games in November. Tañamor decided to retire and will now coach while Tipon is nursing a shoulder injury and remains doubtful in the 16th edition of the Asiad, slated from November 12 to 27 at the capital of China’s Guangdong province. With two of its medal prospects gone, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) will now lean on a young but talented team that has won five gold medals in 2009 Laos Southeast Asian Games to lead the Philippine campaign in Guangzhou.

ABAP executive director Ed Picson said Tañamor, after assessing his performance the last two years, decided that it’s time to give way to talented young boxers where he hopes to train a future Olympian. "He (Tañamor) has decided to retire after we talked. We agreed that its now time to move on," said executive director Ed Picson. Tañamor, 32, has brought numerous honors for the country and donned the Philippine colors in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. He, however, failed to advance in the medal rounds losing to Hong Moo-Won of Korea in the Round of 16 in Athens. He also had a disappointing finish in the Beijing Olympiad after dropping his first match against Ghana’s Manyo Plange despite being named by Sports Illustrated as a gold medal favorite in the light flyweight division. Tañamor is the proud owner of three medals in the World Amateur Boxing Championships winning the bronze in 2001 and 2003, and taking home silver in the 2007 edition in Chicago. Before the Laos SEA Games, Tañamor dominated Cuba’s Yampier Hernandez to bag the gold in the Boxing World Cup in Moscow Russia. He, however, failed to win the light flyweight division gold in the 2009 Laos SEA Games when he lost to a faster and younger opponent in Kaew Pongprayoon of Thailand. The Zamboanga City-born Tañamor had a chance to redeem himself in the Champions of Champions boxing tournament in Beijing last January but was beaten by 2008 Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming of host China in his opening bout. It was the second time that Tañamor lost to Shiming, who is also a two-time Olympian. Shiming, who won a bronze in Athens, spoiled Tañamor’s gold medal hopes in the 2007 World Championships in Chicago, USA. While Tipon, a gold medalist in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, is recovering from a shoulder injury. Picson, however, is not discounting the possibility that Tipon could rejoin the team before the 2010 Asiad. "We have an understanding with Joan that he will be back in the pool if he recovers his old form. He promised to work hard should he recovers from his injury," said Picson. – GMANews.TV