Thais battle to maintain Asian boxing dominance

Thailand's reputation as an Asian boxing powerhouse will be under threat at the 14th Asian Games which start in South Korea this weekend.

The southeast Asian country racked up five golds at the last games in Bangkok in 1998, but will be put on the ropes by their South Korean hosts, said Edward Thangarajah, secretary of the Asian Boxing Council.

"It'll be a very tough proposition (for Thailand) to get anywhere near their accomplishments of the last Asiad," said Thangarajah.

"A lot of their best fighters have retired, and they will not be the same without their home advantage."

The Asian Games start on Sunday and the boxing tournament gets underway on Wednesday and runs through to October 13.

Thangarajah, who is also World Boxing Council representative for Thailand and wrote "Asia on the March", a history of the Asian Games, said Thai boxers had been spoiled by past successes.

"They are promised so much that once they win they rest on their laurels and focus on other things -- they are no longer hungry," he said.

Since winning gold medals in Bangkok in 1998, welterweight Pakpoom Jangphonak, flyweight Pramualsak Phosuwan and lightweight Pongsit Wiangviset have all hung up their gloves.

Fighting outside the ring has also helped scupper Thailand's hopes for gold.

Atlanta Olympic gold medallist featherweight Somluck Kamsing has refused to go to Pusan after two successive Asiad golds, blaming political problems at the Amateur Boxing Association of Thailand.

That leaves light-flyweight Suban Panknown as the lone 1998 gold medallist to represent Thailand.

Thangarajah said the greatest threat to Thailand will come from the South Korean boxers, who have performed badly in recent Olympics and Asiads, but are once again on the rise.

They will be desperate to repeat their success in Seoul in the 1986 Asiad, when they swept all 12 boxing gold medals, many under controversial circumstances.

"There were some very bad decisions (in Seoul)," said Thangarajah.

MEDAL CHANCES

Thailand's Cuban coach, Ismael Salas, will be fielding nine boxers. The Cuban led Thailand to two gold, two silver and four bronze medals at the Asian Championships in Malaysia in June.

Thailand's greatest hope in Pusan rests with flyweight Somjit Jongjorhor, 27, who won a gold medal in the light-flyweight class at the 1999 South East Asian Games in Brunei.

Somjit, who began his career as a kick boxer, was one of the two Thais to win boxing golds at this year's Asian Champs.

Somjit's major competition will come from South Korea's Kim Tae-Kue, who defeated him at this year's Kings Cup in Bangkok, and Kazakhstan's Berik Seripaev, who beat Cuban Yankiel Leon Alarcon in this year's World Cup final in Kazakhstan.

Thailand's other gold prospect is welterweight Manon Boonjamnong, who won his second Kings Cup gold in a row this year and gold at the Asian Championships in Malaysia.

He also won the welterweight title at last year's Copenhagen Cup in Denmark and was named best boxer of the tournament. But he was beaten by Cuban Yudel Johnson Cedeno in the World Cup finals in Kazakhstan.

His greatest challenge in Pusan will come from Kazak fighter and World Cup silver medalist Sergei Rycho.

Thailand's Suban is expected to fare well defending his title this year, unless he comes up against heavily fancied-South Korean Hong-Moo Wan, who won at the Asian Champs and defeated the Thai in the King's Cup.