HOPE not lost
COMING short of the gold medal and bringing home a 17th Asian Games boxing silver today, Charly Suarez of Davao del Norte is not going to hang his gloves just yet.
“Gusto pako mag qualify sa Olympics (I still want to qualify for the Olympics),” the 26-yearold Sawata native said in a Facebook chat with Sun.Star Davao Friday evening.
Charly lost to Mongolian Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu via split decision in their men’s lightweight championship Friday afternoon at the Seonhak Gymnasium in Incheon, South Korea.
The two-time Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist, however, believed he won the fight, saying, “Klarado akoang patama, ana sila unya kusog daw (I gave him clear strong blows as others who saw the fight could attest).”
But when the referee raised the hand of Dorjnyambuu, Charly thought, “Ana ko dili para sa akoa (It’s not for me).”
Charly said he was relaxed and calm during the fight, remembered that his straight hit the Mongolian hard, thus, bleeding the latter as a result.
“Dawat naman nako Ma’am kay nagpray man ko na kung mapildi ko or mudaug kong unsa ang kalooban sa atoang Ginoo sa dula basta gamiton nako ni akoang medal para makapamahagi ko sa iyang salita sa mga wala pa ma kaila sa iyaha (I’ve accepted it. I prayed that win or lose whatever God wills in my fight I’d use my medal so I can share His words to those who don’t know him yet),” Charly said.
He added, “Mao ni akoang purpose diria sa kalibutan. Kay sa una wala ko nagpagamit sa atoang Ginoo. Nagpasalamat ko sa iyaha karon kay gibag-o ko nya (This is my purpose in life `coz I did not let him use me before. I’m thankful that He has changed me).”
With his silver feat, Charly made himself an instant millionaire as he is set to receive a total cash incentive of P1.5 million - P1 million from PLDT and Association for Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (Abap) chair Manny V. Pangilinan and P500,000 from the Philippine Sports Commission.
He said, “Nag-pray pako Ma’am nga hatagan ko niya ug wisdom unsaon pag handle sa kwarta ug magamit pud sa ministry namo sa boxing sa church (I prayed to God so He can give me the wisdom on how to handle the money and to also use part of it for our ministry in boxing at church).”
Having been away for the two-week training in Australia before proceeding to Incheon for his second Asiad stint, Charly said he will go straight to Manila Baptist Church. “Gimingaw nako ug tudlo sa mga bata (I miss teaching the kids).”
He along with two others started teaching ministry kids the ropes of boxing since April this year during free time like Mondays and Saturdays.
It’s interesting to note that Charly was booted out in the first round of the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010 and came back with a silver finish. He has indeed come a long way since he was sidelined for 18 months due to injuries. The Kazakhstan President’s Cup last July was the first tournament he competed in after the hiatus. The Asiad was just his second competition since returning to boxing action. He also had stint in the World Series of Boxing for an Italy team.