Mark Barriga squares off with Italian Manuel Cappai in boxing

Filipino boxer Mark Barriga will fight Manuel Cappai of Italy in the first round of his maiden appearance in the London Summer Olympics next week.

Barriga, the 19-year-old light-flyweight who hails from Panabo City in Davao del Norte, knows little of the young Italian champion Cappai, who was scouted to move and punch like top-seed Zou Shiming of China.

His coach, Roel Velasco, describes the tall Italian as a punch-run-punch-run type of player as he and Barriga witnessed in the Italian’s most recent fight in the YouTube.

The only time that Barriga got a glimpse of Cappai was during the weigh-in on Friday before the actualdraw.

Cappai captured the bronze medal in the European Olympic pre-qualifying event as he lost on points to Aleksander Aleksandrov of Bulgaria in the semi-final match up.

If Barriga hurdles Cappai, he might face either Kazakstan’s Birzhan Zhakypov or France’s Jeremy Beccu in the second round. - AMD, GMA News

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/267226/sports/boxing/olympics-mark-barriga-squares-off-with-italian-manuel-cappai-in-boxing