Thailand are close to regaining their status as the regional boxing powerhouse after five of their six fighters marched into the finals of the SEA Games yesterday.
The Thai winners in yesterday's semi-finals were Thani Rarinram (49kg), Tanes Ongjunta (52kg), Chatchai Butdee (56kg), Wuttichai Masuk (64kg) and Pathomsak Kuttiya (75kg).
The only loser was Anavat Thongkrathok, who was defeated 5-0 by Marvin John Nobel Tupas of the Philippines and had to settle for a bronze.
SEA Games debutant Thani won his fight against Huynh Ngoc Tan after the referee stopped the contest in the second round when the Vietnamese suffered a nasty cut near his right eye.
"I want to win the gold medal for my [late] father," said Thani, who is tipped to be a future Thailand star.
Tanes comfortably beat Ian Clark Bautista of the Philippines 5-0.
Chatchai had few problems in his 5-0 triumph over Lao fighter Vilaysack Chansamone.
Wuttichai also sealed a 5-0 victory over the Philippines' Charly Suarez.
Pathomsak stopped Richard Oscar Laim of Indonesia in the second round.
The Thai boxing team had an embarrassing campaign at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore where they could only win one gold medal each in the men's and women's events.
Wuttichai, the 2014 Asian Games champion, was Thailand's only male champion at the 2015 Games.
The Thai boxing team also had a disastrous campaign at the 2016 Olympics in Rio where they failed to win a single medal. Those poor results prompted the TBA to hire Cuban coach Julian Cedeno.
There are only six classes in the men's boxing at Kuala Lumpur 2017. The hosts are not organising the women's event.
