Willem ready to replace Juan for training in Cuba

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian light welterweight (63.5 kgs) boxer Willem Papilaya said he was ready to replace Juan Sapariban for an overseas stint in Cuba before the national squad leaves for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur in September.

Juan missed the program because he was not allowed to leave the Military School for Noncommissioned Officers in East Jakarta for more than a month.

The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina) has assigned Willem, who is a second sergeant of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), to fill Juan's place.

"I have received approval from my commander to leave my duty. The training session in Cuba will be my first experience. Although I have just joined the SEA Games training on July 14, I will try to adjust myself to the training method," Willem said on Wednesday.

Pertina picked up Willem earlier to replace Stevi Binalay in the same weight division. Stevi must be out of the ring for three months after being knocked out twice at the Arafura Games in Australia in May and the King's Cup boxing championships in Bangkok early this month.

Willem will fly to Cuba along with brother Albert Papilaya on Aug. 4. They will join four other boxers: Hendrik Simangunsong (middleweight), Joko Suryono (light middleweight), Agustinus Romroman (featherweight) and Bonix Saweho (light flyweight), who have been training in Cuba since July.

Pertina's deputy secretary general Didiet Soedijoto said that Willem's past experiences and good posture would help him in the training.

"We hope that he can perform well."

He said he had asked the coaches to prepare a special training program for Willem and Albert.

Starting on Aug. 1, the boxing training will be moved either to Sukabumi or Cipanas, West Java. Boxers have been groomed at Kopassus' headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta, since July 1.

The first phase of the training was conducted in Ragunan sports school in South Jakarta.

"The training project manager, Ignatius Mulyono, has agreed that the second phase of the training in Kopassus' headquarters would only last for one month. Certainly there are the positive and negative impacts," Didiet said.

"The boxers find the training at the Cijantung distressful, because all the officers are under pressure for the heated political situation. The rules in the headquarters are also very severe, the boxers are not allowed to leave the site wearing an informal suit or sandals.

"On the other hand, moving the training venues will reduce the boring situation. We also want to separate the training program of SEA Games boxers with their juniors in Ragunan," he said. (ivy)