Did boxers deserve to lose?

Of the Philippines’ six-man boxing team that battled at the recent SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, coach Elias Recaido said only two deserved to lose. He conceded that bantamweight Mario Fernandez and flyweight Ian Clark Bautista were outfought by their Thai opponents.

Fernandez, 24, lost to twotime Olympian Chatchai Butdee on points in the bantamweight final while Bautista, 22, bowed to Tanes Ongjunta on a 2-1 verdict in the flyweight semifinals. Fernandez was in his first competition since ending a six-month layoff to recover from a right eye surgery last year. He lost to Butdee in last year’s Asian qualifiers for the Olympics so they were familiar rivals. Fernandez joined the Filipino boxers in training camp in China before the SEA Games but still couldn’t repulse Butdee. “Talo talaga,” said Recaido. “Bumawi si Mario sa third round pero nabigyan naman siya ng point deduction kaya wala rin.” As for Bautista, Recaido said he had difficulty making weight and couldn’t keep pace with Ongjunta. “Kinapos siya,” said Recaido. “Hindi naman pwedeng umakyat sa 56 kasi maliit siya kaya dapat maintain niya ang timbang araw-araw at huwag bigla-bigla ang pagbawas.”

As for lightwelterweight Charly Suarez, Recaido said his fight against Thailand’s Wittichai Masuk could’ve gone either way. “Pwedeng manalo, pwedeng matalo,” said Recaido. “Talo siya sa first round at tabla sa second. Sa third, naging agresibo si Charly at nawala yung laro ni Masuk. Sinugod ni Charly at yung advantage ni Masuk sa distansya nawala. Sa tingin ko, dapat steady na lang si Charly sa 60 at huwag na siyang lumaban sa 64.” Suarez, a 29-year-old Rio Olympian, moved up from lightweight to welterweight when the SEA Games organizers scrapped the 60-kilogram division.

Ironically, Bautista and Fernandez were gold medal winners at the SEA Games in Singapore two years ago. Fernandez also took the gold at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar. As for Suarez, he captured the gold as a featherweight at the 2009 SEA Games in Laos and as a lightweight at the 2011 SEA Games in Jakarta. The 2016 Olympian bagged a silver at the 2014 Asian Games.

Recaido said only lightflyweight Carlo Paalam was a clear victim of highway robbery in K. L. “Hometown decision,” he rued. “Dapat nanalo si Carlo kay (Muhammad Redzuan). Walang tatalo kay Carlo sa 49. Siya dapat ang gold medalist.” Redzuan, the Malaysian bet, went on to bag the gold in the division. Recaido said recent World Championships qualifier Rogen Ladon and Paalam are by far the country’s best lightflyweight fighters today.

Middleweight Eumir Marcial and lightheavyweight John Marvin brought home the gold from K. L. Only Paalam failed to bag a medal as the ABAP squad delivered two golds, one silver and two bronzes.

At the World Championships in Hamburg last week, Ladon and the other Filipino qualifier Daniel Maamo failed to make a dent. Marcial also qualified for the World Championships but gave up his ticket for the chance to hit paydirt in K. L. The sacrifice was worth it. Maamo beat Botswana’s Mahomed Otukile, 4-1, in his first outing then was blanked by Cuba’s Yosbany Veitia. Ladon exited in his first fight as he lost a 5-0 decision to Kazakhstan’s Yerzhan Zhomart.

Cuba topped the medal standings in Hamburg with five golds and two silvers. Five Asian countries broke into the medal table with Uzbekistan claiming a gold, three silvers and two bronzes, Kazakhstan earning a gold, two silvers and three bronzes and India, South Korea and Mongolia with a bronze each.