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Published on January 25, 2008

Welterweight Manus, bantamweight Worapoj Petchkum and middleweight Suriya Prasarthinpimai plus light heavyweight Ankarn Chomphuphoung are intent on making home advantage count after the failure in their first attempt to book an Olympic ticket at the World Championships in October.

Having suffered a bitter disappointment in the event, where they suffered premature exits, the trio are eager set things right this time.

The Thai team looked to face an easier task in the tournament following the disqualification of the Philippines, after they submitted documents late.

However, the Filipinos pleaded with the International Boxing Associ-ation and they were allowed to participate in the event.

The return of the Philippines means the long-standing Thai-Filipino rivalry, which took an ugly turn at the recent SEA Games tournament following the forfeiture by the visitors' male boxers in the finals, seemed set for another episode of fierce

battle.

With the Filipinos in the fray, the already strong field, which included the continent's leading nations such as South Korea and Uzbekistan, looks even more formidable.

Considering the fact that the Philippines have fielded their best team, unlike in the SEA Games, there is fear that the Thais' attempt to claim Olympic spots might come undone.

Among the Filipinos' glamour list was bantamweight Joan Tipon who defeated Worapoj on his way to win the gold medal in the Doha Asian Games two years ago.

The Nation