Veteran Somjit Jongjorhor powered his way into the semi-finals, while Athens Olympic bronze medallist Suriya Prasarthinpimai crashed out in the quarter-finals of the King's Cup International Boxing Amateur tournament at the Mall's Ngarmwongwan branch yesterday.

Flyweight Somjit of Thailand A team barely shed sweat in his quarter-final round against South Africa's Chaunke Jackson after notching up an RSC only in the second round.

The bout, expected to be a tough test, turned out to be a cakewalk for the veteran Somjit, who put his straight right to maximum use. When Somjit raced to 3-0 lead within 20 seconds, it looked as though the fight was all but ended as the South African, who seemingly felt overawed, rarely attempted to threaten the opponent, who has achieved all except the Olympics.

Somjit tightened his grip on the fight in the closing stages of the first round after he sent the South African to the canvas with a big right. Sensing that victory was near, Somjit, who sealed a silver medal in the Doha Asian Games last year, charged and managed to floor Jackson early in the second round with a barrage of fierce punches before the referee stopped the fight.

"I earlier anticipated that it would be a challenging fight. I thought he was a fighter who would be difficult to box after seeing him fight in the previous rounds," said the 32-year-old Somjit.

Asked to comment on his seemingly risky approach by dropping his guard almost all the time, Somjit said: "I tried to lure him to throw the punch, in order to open him up for my shot."

Somjit will face Zor Luvsantseren of Mongolia, who secured his place with a 12-8 win over Russia's Vladimir Bagratyan, in the semi-finals in a fight that Somjit believes he can win.

The crowd was kept on tenterhooks and had their hearts in their mouths in the middleweight bout between Suriya and India's Vijender, which saw the Indian make the most of his reach advantage to seal a comfortable

23-10 victory.

Thailand B's Tun Dansamuk suffered a hammering 32-12 defeat at the hands of Tajikistan's Marufjon Fayzuloev in the lightweight division.

Fayzuloev dictated the fight from the outset and felt no threat from Tun, who failed to exploit his reach advantage.

Given the difference in class between the two boxers, the bout gradually developed into a lop-sided contest before Fayzuloev secured the comprehensive win.

"I could not fight as I wanted to today due to the injury to my left wrist. Had I not sustained the injury, I think I could have done much better," said the 25-year-old Tun.

In another lightweight bout, Thailand A's Sailom Ar-dee restored pride for the Kingdom after he upset the odds to clinch a glittering RSC out-scored victory over Mongolia's Doha Asian Games silver medallist Murkhernone Uranchimeg.

Given the notable pedigree of the Mongolian, the Khon Kaen-based Sailom knew he was up against one of the strongest opponents he has faced. However, the Thai boxer rose to the occasion in spectacular style to secure his place in the quarter-finals.

The impressive nature of Sailom's victory was a true reflection of his outstanding display. He let the Mongolian come in and frequently distracted him with deceptive body movement before earning his points with a precious straight right.

"All the credit for this victory goes to my coaching team, who set up a well-planned strategy," said Sailom.

"My performance today was much better than the opening fight. I felt no pressure because I had nothing to lose against him," said Sailom, who will encounter Dabaaie Zakaria of Syria in the last eight of the tournament.

In the light-welterweight class, Thailand B team's Apichet Sansit went down to Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan, who chalked up an RSC out-scored win in the second round when the score stood at 29-9.

However, Pichai Sayotha of Thailand A ensured the hosts still have hopes in the 64kg division, following a hard-fought 21-17 win over Japan's Kawachi Masatsugu.

Pichai next faces what could be a stern test against Uzbekistan's medal prospect Zokir Artikov in the quarter-finals.

Kitinan Sanguansak

The Nation