RP pugs lose 2 openers at intl' boxing tournament

The Philippine boxing team at the World Boxing Championships in Chicago started Day 1 with two losses: Bantamweight Joan Tipon to arch-rival Worapoj Petchkoom of Thailand, 5-13, and welterweight Delfin Boholst to Mai Maititusunquiong of China, 15-37. Originally, it wasn't Tipon who was scheduled to box on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) but Genebert Basadre in the lightweight division. The organizers, however, shuffled the schedules, according to a statement issued by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) on Wednesday. Only Boholst in the RP team had his bout as scheduled. Tipon couldn't find his range against Worapoj, whom he had beaten in the Doha Asian Games bantamweight finals. But he got cheers from Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William Ramirez, 1970 Asian Games boxing gold medalist Ricardo Fortaleza, and a handful of Filipino-Americans. "Well, that's boxing," Ramirez said. "It's not the end of the world for him and the rest of the national boxing team." Ramirez noted that Tipon, the pride of Talisay City, had a tentative start which enabled the Thai to find his groove early. Tipon is expected to seek an Olympic slot next year in the Asian qualifiers either in Thailand or Kazakhstan. Fortaleza, who flew all the way from Sydney, Australia, to Chicago, said that Tipon failed to sustain his attack in the later rounds. "The Thai likes to clinch and Joan wasn't really able to press the action," Fortaleza said. "Power is nothing in amateur boxing. It's a mind game." Fortaleza also thought that the judges were "biased." "Terrible," Fortaleza said. "The Thai didn't even throw a punch, yet (he was) getting the scores." By the end of the third round, the Thai was ahead, 9-5. Tipon made one last try to overhaul the lead, but Worapoj wisely danced stayed away from trouble by clinching and dancing. National head coach Pat Gaspi admitted defeat. "That's not the true Tipon," said Gaspi. Next in line for the RP-PLDT-Smart boxing team is featherweight Charly Suarez, who will be tested by Mongolian veteran Zorigbaatar Enkhzarig on Wednesday (Thursday in the Philippines). Suarez is a first-timer in the World Boxing Championships like Tipon, Boholst, Basadre, and welterweight Willie Lopez. Flyweight Violito Payla fights Andrew Selby of Wales on October 25, the same day that Basadre battles Bulgarian favorite Kolev Ognyan, and Lopez debuts against Velibor Vedic. - GMANews.TV