A week after Charly Suarez and Rogen Ladon were wiped out of competition in the Rio Olympics, head coach Pat Gaspi still couldn?t help but wonder what went wrong to the country?s medal bets.
Gaspi notes that Suarez?s lightweight battle with Joe Cordina of Great Britain could have gone either way.
?Close fight talaga,? said Gaspi, who brought honors to the country during his heyday.
But the one Ladon lost to Yuberjen Martinez of Colombia in the light-fly encounter was as clear as daylight.
?Ladon won only the first minute of the first round,? said Gaspi, referring to the shutout 3-0 defeat of Ladon at the hands of Martinez, who later settled for silver in the 49 kg class.
Gaspi stayed behind and let Boy Velasco handle the coaching chores and is eagerly waiting to confer with his fellow coach to dissect the debacle.
?I think they?re scheduled to return on the 17th (tomorrow),? said Gaspi, his soft and low voice expressing the sadness of the boxers? plight in Rio.
Although he has yet to speak to Ladon, a bronze medalist in the 2015 world championships, Gaspi believes that the Bago City puncher wasn?t in tip-top shape when he collided with Martinez, who was ranked way, way below the fancied Filipino.
?He looked different and I guess he might have not been fed well,? said Gaspi, explaining that Ladon might have experienced difficulty making weight in the run-up to the competition due to overeating.
?He might have eaten too much and had weight problems,? said Gaspi, swearing that Ladon indeed appeared gassed out as early as the second round.
Gaspi is unsure what the future holds as the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) is trying to speed up the process of conducting an election following the decision of president Ricky Vargas to step down from his post.
Names being mentioned to take over the ABAP are Sen. Manny Pacquiao and Rep. Robbie Puno, who also holds a position at the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
Pacquiao has expressed his willingness to handle the ABAP, a move welcomed by former boxing boss Manny Lopez.
?He has the heart for the sport,? said Lopez, now a Manila congressman and the man at the helm when Onyok Velasaco took the silver during the 1996 Atlanta Games.
