Thailand spearheads Asian hopes in the boxing ring

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Asia has a well-deserved reputation in the world of boxing, and pugilists from the region look set to enjoy success in Beijing.

While Cuba continues to dominate the amateur sport, in Athens four years ago Thailand's Manus Boonjumnong and Kazakhstan's Bakhtiyar Artayev were gold medal winners.

Both will be back to defend their titles, and there are other prospects for podium places waiting in the wings.

Manus is perhaps the region's best known boxer, as much for his antics out of the ring as in.

When he outpunched Cuba's Yudel Johnson to win the light welterweight gold medal four years ago, it all went to his head.

He abandoned boxing to embark on a celebrity career of partying and gambling, frittering away hundreds of thousand of dollars in prize money.

His taste for the high life made him a staple of the gossip columns, damaging his reputation and straining his marriage.

But he returned to win an Asian Games gold medal in 2006, then entered a Buddhist monastery, and now wants more Olympic glory.

"I want to win gold again in the Olympics in Beijing," he said after winning the Southeast Asian Games gold late last year.

"The Cubans are strong in my division. The boxers from Kazakhstan are as strong as I've ever seen them, but I'm not concerned. I know I can win again."

He is part of a stable of Thai gold medal contenders, with flyweight veteran Somjit Jongjohor seen as one of the favourites in his division after picking up a silver at the world championships in Chicago last year.

Olympic bantamweight silver medallist Worapoj Petchkoom is also on their team.

The kingdom has a knack of producing promising boxers and one of the best of the new bunch is middleweight Angkarn Chomphuphuang, who showed his potential by beating Artayev in an April bout.

Angkarn, who will make his Olympic debut in Beijing, upset the Kazak star 14-8 in the King's Cup, Thailand's premier amateur boxing tournament, and has high hopes for his first Olympic campaign.

"Beating him is a huge boost for me. I am now not afraid of anyone at the Beijing Games," Angkarn, who won a gold medal in wushu at the 2002 Asian Games, told Thai media.

"I believe I can win an Olympic medal."

Artayev won the welterweight gold at the 2004 Olympics but has since moved up to middleweight.

Angkarn will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of featherweight Somluck Kamsing who won Thailand's first Olympic gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games and Wijan Ponlid who clinched the flyweight title in Sydney in 2000.

Taweep Jantararoj, president of Amateur Boxing Association of Thailand, believes all eight of his boxers are good enough to win medals.

"In previous editions, we rested our hopes on one or two boxers to take the medal. For this Olympics, everyone has a chance," he said.

"In Beijing, we should have at least five boxers in the semi-finals."

In contrast, Thailand's neighbour the Philippines, which has produced boxers like WBC super-featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao, has seen its hopes all but vanish after a disastrous qualifying campaign.

Only light-flyweight Harry Tanamor, a world championship silver medallist, will be flying the flag.

"We need new faces in the ring," said Philippine Olympic chef de mission Monico Puentevella, in calling for a revamp of the country's amateur boxing program following the qualifying fiasco.

While Thailand has an impressive line-up, Uzbekistan is also serious medal contender, with the likes of welterweight Bakhyt Sarsekbayev, heavyweight Rustam Saidov, and featherweight Bahodirjon Sultonov in the frame.

Host nation China has also shown potential in the past two years, shocking the regional giants with golds at the 2006 Asian Games.

Zou Shiming (light-flyweight) and Hu Qing (lightweight) made their breakthroughs and will be looking for medals on home territory.