Still recovering from surgery, Barriga to miss Asian championship

FILIPINO light flyweight Mark Barriga (blue) tags Malaysia’s Mohd Faud Mohd Reuvan with a left to the face in their semifinal clash. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA

The road going to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics has been littered with uncertainty for London Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga.

READ: A mother’s anguish: ‘They cheated my son (Mark Barriga)’

The light flyweight from Panabo, Davao Del Norte will miss the Asian championship in Bangkok after amateur boxing officials picked Roger Ladon to fill up Barriga’s weight category.

Ladon, silver medalist in the Singapore Southeast Asian Games, will join four other Filipino pugs in the Asian Boxing Confederation Elite Men’s Championship set to begin Wednesday until Sept. 5.

The Asian championship serves as the qualifier for the Aiba World Championships in Doha, Qatar in October where the medalists automatically earn trips to Rio.

“Mark is not yet 100 percent. Although he was already given clearance by the doctor, he’s not yet satisfied with his condition,’’ said Ed Picson, executive director of the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines, during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association at Shakey’s Malate.

Barriga, the 22-year-old Incheon Asian Games bronze medalist, had gone through surgery on his right knuckle more than two months ago.

READ: Boxer Barriga out three months due to injured hand

“Mark told me that he wanted to get back to the Olympics but this (Asian championship) is not the way,’’ said Picson in the weekly forum backed by Accel, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and San Miguel Corporation.

He added Barriga could still make it since there are four qualifying events for next year’s Olympics.