London-bound Barriga crashes finals of Uzbekistan boxing tilt

Mark Anthony Barriga beat the foe he faced during last year’s final of the Sydney Jackson Memorial Boxing Tournament to inch closer to a second consecutive crown in the same tournament at the Universal Uzbekistan Sports Complex in Tashkent.

Barriga, who will see action for the Philippines in this year’s London Olympics, defeated local bet Shahobidin Zoirov, 13-10, to advance into the finals as he tries to successfully defend his light flyweight crown.

The 18-year-old Barriga will face fellow Olympic qualifier David Ayrapetyan of Russia in the finals and a win will further boost his stock going into the London joust.

Barriga led 4-2 after the first round but the Panabo City native used his left hooks to prevent Zoirov from moving in and attack. That was enough for Barriga to clinch a finals berth as he kept his lead until the final bell.

Meanwhile, Ian Clark Bautista was not as fortunate as he bowed to Shexriyor Isakov of Uzbekistan, 8-4, in the flyweight class.

Bautista clinched the bronze medal with the loss despite fighting with a strained shoulder muscle injury.

The first round was tied at 2 but Isakov started to pull away ending the second round with a 5-3 lead.

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