Thais fight way into five boxing finals
Five Thai fighters led by hard-hitting Apichet Saenset punched their way into finals of the men's SEA Games boxing competition in Myanmar yesterday.
Apichet was the most impressive of the bunch in clinching his gold-medal shot, registering a second consecutive technical knockout to beat his Indonesian opponent in the 69kg category at the Wunna Theikdi Sports Complex.
Apichet, who crushed Cambodia’s Pisey Srun in the preliminary round, will defend his title against a Malaysian fighter tomorrow.
Earlier, Chatchai Butdee set the tone for the Thai camp by clinched a unanimous decision over Vietnam’s Tran Fu Cuong. He now faces home fighter Mg Nge in the final of the 52kg class.
“Facing a fighter from the host country in the final will be tough and I admit to feeling concerned. Becoming champion is difficult enough but it will be even tougher to snatch the title from a home fighter,” said Chatchai.
Like Apichet, Donchai Thathi managed to down his Singaporean opponent three times in the opening round before the referee called a halt to the 56kg fight. A stern test awaits the Thai in the final where he faces a Filipino fighter.
In the 60kg class, Sailom Ardee boxed well below his standard but contrived to clinch a split decision against Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Hai. Sailom, a veteran of the Beijing and London Olympics. Sailom needs to raise his form considerably if he is to win the gold medal against his Filipino rival in the final.
Wuttichai Masuk enjoyed an easier 64kg bout against Malaysia’s Khir Azmi, prevailing with a unanimous decision. He faces Filipino Dennis Galvan for the gold.
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