If defending gold medalist Manus Boonjumnong wins his next two fights, his second child might end up being called "Beijing". Thailand's former partyboy boxer called his first child Athens after registering the biggest upset of the boxing finals in the Greek capital four years ago.
Now he looks on track for a repeat.
Manus Boonjumnong of Thailand ( left) fights Masatsugu Kawachi of Japan during a men's light welterweight 64 kilogram preliminary boxing match last Thursday. [Agencies]
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"No beer, no gambling, only training. I feel 100 percent, I'm ready to fight, and I want to protect the medal I won last time," Boonjumnong told China Daily.
He registered two comfortable victories in Beijing last week to guarantee at least a bronze medal, but will have to find a way around Cuba's wily Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo this afternoon in the light welter (64kg) semifinal to earn a shot at gold No 2.
As Cuba has not forgiven the Thai fighter for destroying the gold-medal hopes of Yudel Johnson at the last edition of the Games, no one is expecting an easy ride.
But if the 28-year-old ladies' man can advance and win Saturday night's title bout he will finally lay old ghosts to rest as few critics could diminish his then status as the kingdom's first Olympic double gold medalist.
"Manus' conditioning is better than ever, and especially his mental condition is right where we want it," said trainer Supap Boonrawd.
Boonjumnong irked the Thai media by reportedly blowing over $600,000 of bonuses on women, booze and roulette following his first Olympic triumph. Since then Thailand's boxing authorities have packed him off to training camps in Cuba and Vietnam to keep him away from Bangkok's lurid delights.
"He has been good for a year. He doesn't have any problems like that anymore," said coach Kammanit Nanreerakx.
But Boonjumnong knows how easily best-laid plans can go to waste: He also watched his younger brother Non, a silver medalist at last fall's World Championships in Chicago, draw a blank on his Olympic debut last week.
Not that this dampened the champ's fighting spirit - or his cocky approach in the ring. As he demolished Masatsugu Kawachi with an 8:1 points victory on Aug 14, Boonjumnong could not help showboating, dropping his guard and faking cartoon punches to exact a humiliating revenge on the Japanese after his loss to him at the world titles.
"When they fought before Manus was not in good shape," said his coach. "Now he is 100 percent and he wants to show everyone what he can do."
He also dispatched Kazakhstan's fearsome southpaw Serik Sapiyev 7:5 in the quarterfinals to stay in the medal hunt at the Beijing Games. Sapiyev had won the past two world championship titles.
"All I can think about is everybody in Thailand and I want to win this for them," said Boonjumnong, who cruised to gold at the 2006 Asian Games but is looking more dangerous now.
"Everyday we're getting the brothers to spar with each other and rotating with the other boxers to keep them all fresh," said Kammanit.
The coach gets the squad started at 6am each day with a 90-minute training session on the front lawn inside the Athlete's Village.
For the rest of the day, Boonjumnong is either sweating it on the heavy bags at the Olympic boxing gymnasium, racing around the village in a shiny silver sweat-suit, or chatting on MSN at the cyber caf 50m from his apartment.
Thailand took three boxing medals at the Athens Games, including a silver medal from Worapoj Petchkoom (bantamweight) and a bronze from Suriya Prasathinphimai (middleweight).
Flyweight Somjit Jongjohor also gave Anvar Yunusov of Tajikistan an 8:1 thrashing to book his place in today's semifinals and earn his first Olympic medal before he retires.