BANGKOK. – Jay Brian Baricuatro was inconsolable as he walked past the interview area and headed straight to the backstage after his bout for the gold medal.
The agony of defeat was all over the face of the young pug – not because of the punches he received but rather for the pain of losing a battle that many believed he should have won.
A late rally from Baricuatro ultimately fell short as he settled for the silver medal following a controversial 1-4 loss to Thai bet Thitiwat Phlongauri in the men’s 48-kilogram final of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games boxing competition at the Chulalongkorn University Sports Center on Friday.
Similar to the earlier bout of Olympic bronze medalist Aira Villegas, Baricuatro found himself trailing 3-2 after the opening round — a frame that could have been his after seemingly landing the cleaner punches.
The Thai bet padded the lead in the second round though mostly on counters with Baricuatro charging in to try closing the gap.
In desperation, Baricuatro threw haymakers one after another – with a big right hand even hurting the Phlongauri.
The Thai boxer struggled to keep his distance as Baricuatro pressed the fight, even landing more solid hits — all of which went futile in the end as the judges scored the bout in favor of the host fighter.
Baricuatro gave the PH boxing team its second silver medal following the defeat of Villegas earlier.
