Thursday, March 13, 2008 Recaido upbeat on Tipon, Castro chances By Henry C. Villalva
1994 Hiroshima Asian Games boxing gold medalist Elias Recaido, Jr. of Bacolod City strongly believes Negrenses Joan Tipon and Godfrey Castro have a good chance of nailing qualifying berths for the 2008 Beijing Olympiad when they compete in the March 15-19 last Olympic qualifying event for Asia in Kazakhstan.
"Tipon and Castro are two of the most talented and disciplined boxers we have in the national pool and with the calibre of boxers from other Asian countries expected to compete in Kazakhstan I feel both Tipon and Castro will be able to make it," said Recaido who is now a member of the national coaching staff at the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) training camp in Baguio City.
Recaido told Sun.Star Bacolod in a text message yesterday that both Tipon and Castro "are in top shape especially since they were given special attention by the Cuban coaches. Tinutukan talaga sila ni (Enrique Steyners) Tissert nitong nakaraang dalawang buwan lalo na si Joan (Tipon) kasi nagagalingan ang Cubano sa bata natin."
Tissert is one of two Cuban coaches who arrived in Manila recently after being tapped by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to help prepare the RP national boxers in their drive to qualify for the August Beijing Olympiad and possibly win the country's first ever Olympic gold medal.
Recaido also assured that Tipon has developed a new found confidence after training with the Cuban coaches and that the former Negros Amateur Boxing Association (NABA) child prodigy was taught new techniques by the Cuban mentors.
"Marami silang binago kay Joan especially sa depensa at sa counter-punching kasi malawak naman talaga ang experience nila," Recaido said.
The 1996 Atlanta Olympian likewise stressed that he expects the opposition in Kazakhstan not to be as tough as the ones in Bangkok and that this will work favorably for the RP pugs.
Recaido, together with Bago City's Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco, Jr. and Reynaldo Galido, came home with golds from Hiroshima and competed together in the Atlanta summer games where Velasco settled for the silver medal.
