No match for strong Thais boxers in SEA Games
No match for strong Thais boxers in SEA Games
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (AP): It took a Philippine soldier and a
Jakarta policeman to stop the mighty Thai boxers at the Southeast
Asian Games Saturday.
Otherwise the Thais dominated boxing as they have the rest of
the games, winning eight golds in 11 bouts.
Indonesian light heavyweight Albert Papilaya was slower on his
feet than Thai opponent Somsak Janthaporn, but the referee
stopped the bout in the third round after Albert bloodied
Somsak's eye.
Albert, a 32-year-old Jakarta policeman from Indonesia's Ambon
island, turned somersaults and danced around the ring after his
victory.
Filipino light welterweight Romeo Brin, a quarterfinalist in
the 1996 Olympics, won the gold 14-0 with relentless, windmilling
punches to Thai boxer Pongsak Hrianthuanthong's head.
"Brin always fights like that. He has a great heart," said
Arsenio Lacson, an administrative officer from the Amateur Boxing
Association of the Philippines.
Brin, a 26-year-old army corporal from the Philippines' remote
Palawan island, received a standing ovation from the crowd after
one of his great fights.
His compatriot Juanito Magliquian took the pinweight gold with
a 9-2 victory over Indonesia's Muhammad Rusli.
But the Thais won in all the other weight classes they fought
in, helping their nation take an unbeatable lead in the games'
overall gold medal count.
Thai fans with painted faces packed the stadium, waving flags,
stamping their feet, blowing horns and belting out their national
anthem after every victory.
Thailand's Somjit Jongjohor knocked down and beat Malaysia's
Sapok Biki, the Commonwealth Games champion, 9-2 in light
flyweight.
Flyweight Worapoj Petchkoom beat the Philippines' Arlan Lerio
7-2, and fellow Thai Wijan Ponlit beat Indonesia's Antonius Joni
7-2 in the bantamweight division.
The referee stopped the featherweight final when the
Philippines' Elmer Pamisa staggered to the canvas from a hard
blow to the head in the fourth round, giving the gold to Thai
Sutthisak Samaksaman.
Thailand's Somchai Nakbalee beat Malaysian Muruguthevan
Balakrishnan 10-0 in the lightweight bout.
In the most emotional fight of the day, Thailand's Dechapon
Suwannalird took the welterweight gold in a 6-5 victory over Tun
Tun of Myanmar.
Fans from the two neighbor countries, whose history includes
border disputes and ancient rivalries, banged gongs and chanted
patriotic slogans in a deafening din before, during and after the
fight.
In the light middleweight division, Thailand's Komgrit Nanakon
won the gold after his blow to Indonesian Joko Suryon's head
prompted the referee to stop the bout in round 4.
Thai middleweight Pornchai Thongburan won the gold over the
Philippines' Mario Tizon 5-1.