Pino Bahari has slim chance of joining SEA Games squad

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian light heavyweight boxer Pino Bahari chances of joining the national squad for the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games are slim after losing at the 18th President Cup championships.

Pino lost to Thai second stringer Somsak Tantraporn 3-9 at the annual event, which is being held in Bogor from July 20 to July 27.

The Indonesian Boxing Association's chairman, Poul Toding, said yesterday he could not say whether the association would immediately exclude the 1990 Asian Games gold medalist from the SEA Games team.

"The championships is the final selection for the SEA Games squad. We're looking for boxers who can beat our rival Thailand. He just lost to a Thai boxer," Poul said.

"He looked weak, slow and fat. His physical condition was bad and he was lack of stamina," he said.

"We have to discuss this with coaches and officials," he said.

Pino's coach Khaerul Saleh told Antara that Pino did not attack the Thai boxer.

"He should have been attacking the Thai from the beginning. But I have to say that Somsak is a good boxer, while Pino was too slow and had rarely trained," he said.

Pino's father Daniel Bahari has refused to let his son to join the SEA Games team since centralized training began. But Pino has to compete in the Games because of his plans to turn to professional, as mentioned in his Rp 100 million (US$37,750) contract with promoter Tourino Tidar.

"We'll look at how our boxers who joined the centralized training fought at the championships. Although some of them lost, they performed very well," he said.

The association will name 11 boxers for the SEA Games after the championships. Selection will be based on their training, the tournaments in Uzbekhistan and Karachi earlier this year and the championships.

They boxers will also have a short stint in Cuba. (yan)