Rico scores fastest KO win in Golden Gloves history
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)