Pacific Island boxers have missed out on automatic qualification for the Tokyo Olympics after three top contenders bowed out at the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifying tournament in Jordan.
Samoan welterweight Marion Faustino Ah Tong was swept 5-0 by Jordanian fourth seed Zeyad Ishaish in their quarter-final clash in Amman on Sunday.
Marion Faustino Ah Tong was one seven Samoan boxers to win gold at the 2019 Pacific Games. Photo: Trina Edwards/Games News Service
Ah Tong, 19, who won gold at last year's Pacific Games, received three standing eight counts during the bout with Ishaish advancing to the semi finals by unanimous decision.
The teenager has previously upset Iran's Sajjad Kazemzadeh Poshtiri 3-2 in the previous round, despite receiving a standing eight count in the final round.
Training partner Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali suffered the same fate against Iashaish's older brother Hussein in the heavyweight division.
Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali. Photo: Facebook
The 21-year-old, who won a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, suffered a cut in his first-round victory against Australian Brandon Reed, following a head-clash, sparking initial fears he would not be able to continue in the competition.
The Sydney-based Samoan made it to the ring but was quickly on the back-foot against the home-town favourite, a quarter-finalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, who managed to reopen the cut and force two standing eight counts.
With Ishaish continuing to target the quickly deteriorating cut, Faoagali went down swinging before the referee finally stopped the fight in the second round.
Hussein and Zeyad Hussein Ishaish both defeat Samoan opponents to qualify for Tokyo. Photo: Olympic Channel
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea featherweight Jamie Tumin Chang was no match for Daniyal Shahbakhsh in his preliminary bout on Saturday, with the Iranian teenager forcing a second round stoppage after two standing eight counts against the fourth seed.
