Rico scores fastest KO win in Golden Gloves history
JAKARTA (JP): Rico Maspaitella of Jakarta needed only five seconds to outbox Asep Badru of West Java in their featherweight bout of the Golden Gloves amateur boxing championships in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi on Sunday.
Rico's knockout, the fastest ever victory in the tournament's 18-year history, highlighted Sunday's opening round matches which saw half of the six contests stopped by the referees.
Once the referee declared the bout started, Rico came out to charge his hapless opponent with a flurry of jabs and hooks. Hundreds of people in the crowd had yet to find their seats as Rico's right hook connected Badru's jaw, sending the West Javanese in a chin-dive to the canvass.
Badru more than failed to beat the count; the wiry featherweight lay immobile on the floor in faint for few minutes before the medical officials rushed him to the hospital.
The six-day event, which is being staged at the Mattoangin sport hall, was opened Sunday evening by South Sulawesi Deputy Governor Brig. Gen. Andi Moh. Ghalib.
The organizers were troubled with a tough draw earlier on that day, as two prominent national pugilists Pino Bahari and Albert Papilaya should have met in the first round of the middleweight competition. The organizers finally reran the draw and had both boxers join the national team for Hiroshima's Asian Games, where they might ultimately meet in the final.
Ideal division
Pino has insisted on playing in his ideal division, which earned him a gold medal in the 1990 Asian Games, despite the plan of the national amateur boxing association (Pertina) to field him in the lightheavyweight competition in Hiroshima.
Another big name, pinweight Hermensen Ballo, and light middleweight Hendrik Simangunsong, did not find their real challenges when they scored referee-stop-contest victories on the way to the second round.
Hermensen stopped Ardiansyah of Central Kalimantan in the second round, while Hendrik knocked out La Atta of Maluku in the first round of their one-sided fight.
A major upset was suffered by experienced Franky Hamadi of Maluku when he was disqualified for throwing illegal punches to Jakarta's Dirk Paat in their light welterweight fight. Dirk was decked following a hard shot to the back of his neck, Antara news agency reported.
Flyweight Polsan Gabriel of South Sumatra won a unanimous points decision over Chaerul Umar of Aceh after an exhausting four-round bout. Jeremias Saly of East Nusa Tenggara outpointed Feliciano da Costa of East Timor in the other flyweight match. (amd)