RI boxers are good even 'without the Baharis'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo
\nArismunandar told national boxers to do their best at the 19th
\nSEA Games here in October, even though the Bahari brothers were
\nnot in the squad.<\/p>\n
\"Show the people that without Pino Bahari and Nemo Bahari, you
\nare still the best,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Pino, a 1990 Asian Games gold medalist, missed a spot in the
\nsquad after losing to Thailand's Somsak Tantraporn in the first
\nmatch of the 1997 President Cup international boxing championship
\nin Bogor last month.<\/p>\n
His younger brother Nemo left boxing for the priesthood last
\nyear after becoming the 1995 President Cup's best fighter and
\nreaching the quarterfinals in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association chose 11 boxers from
\ntheir performances during a one-year training program and at the
\nPresident Cup.<\/p>\n
The boxers will leave for an overseas stint in Cuba from Aug.
\n15 to Oct. 3.<\/p>\n
The SEA Games boxing squad are Rusli (pin-weight 45kgs), La
\nPaene Masara (light flyweight 48kgs), Hermansen Ballo (flyweight
\n51kgs), Dufri Masihor (bantamweight 54kgs), Rico Maspaitella
\n(featherweight 57kgs), Wilpare Jamhur (light weight 60kgs),
\nMeckson Barataman (light welterweight 63.5kgs), Bara Gommies
\n(welterweight 67kgs), Aswin Cabui (light middleweight 71kgs),
\nAlbert Papilaya (middleweight 75kgs) and Syarif Hidayat (light
\nheavyweight 81kgs).<\/p>\n
Of the 11, only La Paene, Rico, Bara and Aswin competed at the
\n1995 SEA Games.<\/p>\n
Hermansen Ballo, who won the 1997 President Cup's best fighter
\naward, missed out on the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.<\/p>\n
\"I was excluded from the last Games because I was overweight.
\nBut now I will do my best. I prepared myself better to win the
\nPresident Cup because I really want to box in the Games,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said he would win gold in the biennial event which starts
\non Oct. 11 and ends on Oct. 19.<\/p>\n
Aswin said he did not care if the Baharis were excluded from
\nthe team.<\/p>\n
\"We don't depend on certain people. It depends on how prepared
\nwe are for the Games,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Head coach Isidro Trotman of Cuba said all the boxers were
\nwell prepared and were taking part in competitions and tryouts
\nbefore the Games.<\/p>\n
\"They are between 23 and 27 years old. They're still young and
\nmotivated,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The council expects the boxers to win at least four golds at
\nthe Games, but Trotman says he thinks they could win more.<\/p>\n
Another Cuban coach, Julio Lee, said all the boxers were fit,
\ntheir technical skills were better and their motivation was high.<\/p>\n
Lee declined to say who the best boxer was: \"I can't say who's
\nthe best because it would make the others pessimistic. It's a
\ncoaches' secret.\" (yan)<\/p>",
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