VETERAN Marvin Tabamo got outfoxed and outpunched by young Uzbek Azsilbek Jalilov, who used his ring savvy to carve out a convincing unanimous decision (5-0) win in the men’s flyweight finals of the ASBC Asian Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships in Chiangmai, Thailand.
Eight years younger than his Filipino rival, Jalilov, 20, proved faster and friskier, using his stick-and-run, in-and-out tactics to win on all the scorecards of the five judges, three of them giving him similar 30-27 scores while two others had it 29-28.
Tabamo, 28, who last saw action in the competition five years ago, wound up as the best fighter on the national team that also will bring home four bronze medals courtesy of Jay Brian Baricuatro, Mark Ashley Fajardo, Ian Clark Bautista and Riza Pasulit.
Tabamo failed to land clear and solid punches against his slippery foe, who easily moved away from danger for the entire match while tagging his rival with combinations.
By the end of the second round, the Filipino was behind on three scorecards while tied in two but failed to make any headway in the final round as the former Asian Under-22 waltzed his way to the victory by piling up points.
