Super Mario, Barriga join Suarez in semis

INCHEON, South Korea — Mario Fernandez fought aggressively and with the quickness of a young boxer always on the attack and put away world No. 3 Thapa Shive of India to advance to the semifinals of the bantamweight division of the Asian Games boxing competitions yesterday at the Seonhak gymnasium in downtown Incheon. 

Two hours later, Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga fought Dusmatov Hasanboy of Uzbekistan tooth and nail in a close contest and hacked out a 2-1 (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) verdict to climb to the light flyweight semifinal.

Fernandez and Barriga joined lightweight Charly Suarez in the next round where a win puts them into the gold medal round.

The 21-year-old Fernandez, the 2013 Naypyidaw Southeast Asia Games gold medalist, hounded the Indian, the 2013 Asian Championships gold medal winner, in a battle of 21-year-olds, connecting with straights and 1-2 combinations against his opponent, whose counterattacks mostly hit nothing but air in the fast-paced game.

Fernandez, from the University of Baguio, won, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 to move to within two wins of claiming the country’s first gold.

Fernandez bids for the gold medal round against 25-year-old Chinese Zhang Jiawel who blasted Omurbak Malabekov of Kyrghystan, 3-0, in the other quarterfinal bout in the lower bracket.

In the upper bracket, the winners also scored unanimous wins. Kazakhstan’s Yeraliyev Kairat blasted Alawadie Mohammade Adelaziz Mohamed, 3-0, and will next meet hometown hero Ham Sangmeong, who routed Nyambayar Tugstsogt of Mongolia, 3-0.

Barriga will have a tough rival in Korean Shin Jong jun, who stopped India’s Laishram Devendro Singh, 3-0, in the other quarterfinal.  

The winners advance to the gold medal round on Oct. 3.