All RI's boxer edge to semifinals
All RI's boxer edge to semifinals
By Johannes K. Simbolon
JAKARTA (JP): Victories yesterday by light flyweight boxer Lapaene Massara and featherweight fighter Wilpare Jamhur ensured all of Indonesia's boxers made it through to the semifinals.
The previous day, light welterweight Meckson Barataman and featherweight Rico Maspaitella beat their opponents at the Soemantri Brodjonegoro sports hall in South Jakarta to book semifinal berths.
Indonesia's seven other fighters all received first-round byes to the semifinals.
The 23-year-old Lapaene, a quarterfinalist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, beat Cambodia's Dararith Var 17-5 on points, while Wilpare, a 27-year-old army sergeant in the Jakarta Military Command, pummeled his way to a 27-3 victory against Laotian Souksavane Sengthavisok in five scintillating rounds.
Hundreds of Indonesian supporters, some of them beating huge drums, became hysterical on seeing both fighters send punch after punch into their opponents' bodies and rushed to shake their hands at the end of the matches.
The head of the National Boxing Association, Paul Toding, said he was satisfied with the performance of both fighters.
"You can see that they still had a lot of energy up to the last round."
Lapaene will now be looking for revenge in his semifinal against Phillipine boxer Dissierto Effren, who beat him in the 18th Sea Games in Chiang Mai two years ago.
Yesterday Effren finished off Thailand's Samrot Kamsing in the second round.
"I hope I can beat him this time," Massara said.
Wilpare now fights Pongsit Waingwisas of Thailand, who beat Suarday Hj Yusof of Brunei yesterday.
Waingwisas was the gold medalist in the Kings Cup boxing amateur championship several months ago, where Wilpare only got the bronze medal. However they did not meet in that competition due to being in different halves of the draw.
"I will go forward and never retreat," Wilpare promised.
Indonesia is the only country which has managed to get all its fighters to the semifinals. Thailand, which has boasted it will win most of the gold medals, has had one casualty when its light flyweight Kamsing lost to Effren.
The semifinals start today at the same venue.