RI boxers are good even 'without the Baharis'

JAKARTA (JP): National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar told national boxers to do their best at the 19th SEA Games here in October, even though the Bahari brothers were not in the squad.

"Show the people that without Pino Bahari and Nemo Bahari, you are still the best," he said.

Pino, a 1990 Asian Games gold medalist, missed a spot in the squad after losing to Thailand's Somsak Tantraporn in the first match of the 1997 President Cup international boxing championship in Bogor last month.

His younger brother Nemo left boxing for the priesthood last year after becoming the 1995 President Cup's best fighter and reaching the quarterfinals in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association chose 11 boxers from their performances during a one-year training program and at the President Cup.

The boxers will leave for an overseas stint in Cuba from Aug. 15 to Oct. 3.

The SEA Games boxing squad are Rusli (pin-weight 45kgs), La Paene Masara (light flyweight 48kgs), Hermansen Ballo (flyweight 51kgs), Dufri Masihor (bantamweight 54kgs), Rico Maspaitella (featherweight 57kgs), Wilpare Jamhur (light weight 60kgs), Meckson Barataman (light welterweight 63.5kgs), Bara Gommies (welterweight 67kgs), Aswin Cabui (light middleweight 71kgs), Albert Papilaya (middleweight 75kgs) and Syarif Hidayat (light heavyweight 81kgs).

Of the 11, only La Paene, Rico, Bara and Aswin competed at the 1995 SEA Games.

Hermansen Ballo, who won the 1997 President Cup's best fighter award, missed out on the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

"I was excluded from the last Games because I was overweight. But now I will do my best. I prepared myself better to win the President Cup because I really want to box in the Games," he said.

He said he would win gold in the biennial event which starts on Oct. 11 and ends on Oct. 19.

Aswin said he did not care if the Baharis were excluded from the team.

"We don't depend on certain people. It depends on how prepared we are for the Games," he said.

Head coach Isidro Trotman of Cuba said all the boxers were well prepared and were taking part in competitions and tryouts before the Games.

"They are between 23 and 27 years old. They're still young and motivated," he said.

The council expects the boxers to win at least four golds at the Games, but Trotman says he thinks they could win more.

Another Cuban coach, Julio Lee, said all the boxers were fit, their technical skills were better and their motivation was high.

Lee declined to say who the best boxer was: "I can't say who's the best because it would make the others pessimistic. It's a coaches' secret." (yan)