BANGKOK. — Even the usually jolly Flint Jara was wiping away his tears in the post-fight interview, this time largely due to pure regret.
The precious mint remained elusive for Philippine boxers with Jara, fighting with an injured left hand, suffering a unanimous 0-5 defeat at the hands of Thai foe Thanapat Saengphet in the men’s 54-kilogram final at the Chulalongkorn Sports Center on Friday.
Seeing how his teammates who fought before him narrowly lost their matches on judges’ decision, Jara went overly aggressive and tried to end the bout early— a ploy that eventually backfired, with his more seasoned foe scoring on counters to outpoint him.
“Masyado po akong naghabol sa mas clear na panalo and kilala din po iyon na magaling din naman,” Jara said of his foe.
“Ginawa ko ‘yung best ko kasi kahit gaano po kalapit ‘yung score ko, tatalunin at tatalunin po ako (because of judges),” added the brave fighter, who injured his left hand in an earlier fight.
With the loss, all of the Filipino fighters who advanced to the finals against Thai opponents have lost and settled for silver medals.
Only Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial remained in contention for a gold medal later later in the day against an Indonesian foe.
Earlier, Jay Brian Baricuatro suffered a controversial 1-4 defeat — an outcome that many deemed controversial especially after a close 3-2 scoring in the opening frame and a huge rally from the Filipino in the final round.
“Sabi ng iba panalo dapat ako, pati ako rin eh. Nagtataka ka din ako eh. Pero no surprise at all kasi nasa Thailand tayo eh, eh Thailand ‘yung kalaban natin sa finals,” said Baricuatro.
Also finishing with the silver was Aira Villegas, who like Baricuatro, surprisingly trailed in the first round, forcing her to change plans mid-fight to try and salvage her chances.
