Nemo expects Galido or Kamsing in SEAG

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's best boxer, Nemo Michel Bahari, is expecting to take on Vincent Galido of the Philippines or Somluck Kamsing of Thailand in either the semifinal or final of the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, between Dec. 7 and Dec. 19.

"Vincent remains a tough opponent for me," said the 20-year- old featherweight champion yesterday. This year Nemo has beaten Vincent on points twice. The first time was in the final of the President Cup tournament, and the second was in the semifinal of the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Nemo fell 4-3 to Kazakhstan's Tilegenov Bakhtiyar in the final of the Asian boxing meet in Tashkent a few days ago.

Nemo, whose left eye is still black due from Vincent's punches in Tashkent, said that his winning chance against Vincent at the SEA Games will depend on who is fitter.

"Vincent can be extremely difficult to beat if he is in his best condition," said Nemo.

"I'm looking forward to meeting him in Chiang Mai. But Somluck Kamsing may be more difficult to beat," said Nemo, who trains with his father and coach, Daniel Bahari, in Denpasar, Bali.

So far, Asian Games gold medalist Somluck has beaten Nemo twice -- in last year's Asian Games in Hiroshima and in the Asian Amateur Championships in Iran in January 1993 -- while Nemo has beaten Somluk once, in the Italy Open in March last year.

If selected, the 18th SEA Games in Chiang Mai will be Nemo's first SEA Games appearance. The Indonesian Boxing Association is slated to finalize their selection of boxers for the upcoming SEA Games tonight, in a meeting at the home of the association's executive director, Imron Z.S. (arf)