PHL boxers' 2012 Olympic bids still alive

Mark Anthony Barriga and Rey Saludar's Olympic hopes now rest in the hands of the same boxers that defeated them. Chinese light flyweight Zou Shiming and American flyweight Rau'Shee Warren both made it to the semifinal round of the 2011 AIBA World Championships after beating separate opponents in Baku, Azerbaijan. Zou and Warren's victories kept Barriga and Saludar's quest for a berth in the 2012 London Olympic alive. The quarterfinalists of the event automatically advanced to the Olympics but the round-of-16 losers to the gold and silver medalists still has a shot of making it to London. Barriga and Saludar were eliminated by Zou (12-5) and Warren (22-12), respectively, in the round-of-16 phase of the tournament. Zou beat Thailand's Kaew Pongprayoon, 14-8, to remain undefeated since 2005. Warren, on the other hand, defeated Khalid Yafai of England, 14-9, to also move into the Final Four. Both fighters will take on Russian opponents in the semifinals. Warren will face top-ranked Misha Aloian while Zou will clash with fourth-ranked David Ayrapetyan. A win will assure them of a silver medal. If Barriga and Saludar fail to make the grade in the world tilt, the two can still go for Olympic slots in next year's Asian qualifiers in Kazakhstan. The number of qualifiers will depend on how many slots are left for Asia from a quota of 54 after the world championships. — Reuben Terrado/JVP, GMA News