Twenty-three-year-old Charly Suarez has set his sights on a stint in the coming London Olympics and did not allow the feisty Daisuke Narimatsu of Japan to stand in his way.

The hard-hitting Filipino controlled their semifinal fight in the Asian Olympic Qualifying Event at the Daulet Stadium as he led in the first round, 4-3, poured it on in round 2 at 13-8 and sealed the victory with a final score of 24-11.

Suarez came from a successful stint with the Mumbai Fighters of India in the World Series of Boxing, the semi-professional league organized by the world governing body for amateur boxing, the International Boxing Federation.

A member of the national pool for eight years now, Suarez said he and his coaches have been studying the styles of all the boxers in his category.

"We concentrated on defense and speed. Daisuke likes to come in and deliver his power blows. I waited in ambush for him and his punches landed on my arms while I feinted with straights and countered with hooks and uppercuts,” he said.

"Charly has beefed up, developed more stamina and more importantly, gained much more confidence after the WSB stint," Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines executive director Ed Picson said.

Picson said the fights in the WSB go five rounds, compared to the amateurs' three rounds.

Suarez's semifinals win came on the heels of the appointment of ABAP president Ricky Vargas as honorary vice president of the Asian Boxing Confederation.

Suarez is mentored by coaches Nolito and Roel Velasco and Ronald Chavez. *PNA

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