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TASHKENT -- Dannel Maamo, 20, a protege of Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno, shone brightly with a smashing win for the ABAP national boxing team at the ASBC Asian Elite Championships Tuesday at the ultra-modern Uzbekistan National Sports Complex here. This, after two of his compatriots suffered heart-breaking losses to two of the seeded boxers in the competition. First day winner James Palicte had to strain against not only the number 2 seed Elnur Abduraimov of Uzbekistan but also the thunderous cheering for the hometown boy and the jeering against him by the huge audience which came out to support Uzbek fighters (they have yet to lose a single bout in the tournament). The Uzbek lightweight got the unanimous decision. WelterweightJoel Bacho, likewise a winner on opening day, also had his hands full fighting an unorthodox Iranian, Sajjad Kazemzadeposhtiri, who flailed away and won by the sheer volume of punches he threw from different directions. Maamo, fighting in the 52 kilogram flyweight division, fought smartly, popping combinations and staying away from the power shots of veteran Chinese boxer Chang Yong. However, a clash of heads resulted in a cut above the Chinese's right eyebrow and the Iranian referee, Farhad Sadeghpour stopped the fight on advice of the ringside physician in the second round. The decision went to the scorecards which found Maamo the winner. The quarterfinal round starts Wednesday, with only 20 of the original 28 countries in contention, including the Philippines with 3 of the original 6 boxers still in the hunt.
