Ume goes down fighting bravely against Australian

JOHN Ume, Papua New Guinea’s lone boxer at the Tokyo Olympics, lost via a unanimous decision to reigning Commonwealth Games champion Harry Garside in the lightweight (63kg) division round of 32 on Sunday.
All three rounds were scored 10-9 for Garside with the Australian earning a 30-27 scorecard from each of the five judges.
Garside’s entourage congratulated Ume on a brave performance and highlighted that more lead-up competitions may have led to a different outcome.
Lack of time in the ring with quality boxers at the international level and limited sparring partners meant that Ume was under-prepared for the fight.
Lead-up training was carried out in PNG due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic limiting overseas opportunities.
Lockdowns in Port Moresby and the closure of the Taurama Aquatic Centre meant a change in training venues, including the Southside Fitness Centre gym, Murray Barracks gym and Ela Beach and the Sir John Guise Stadium Indoor Complex’s makeshift gym.
Regardless of the situation in Port Moresby, Ume and his sparring partners along with coach Mark Keto continued to prepare as best they could.
He competed in a number of local bouts, but missed the high-quality experience and fight craft that he would have received had he been based overseas.
PNG has a long and proud history of sending boxers to the Olympics and Ume is the country’s 14th representative in the sport.
Ume competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and won gold in the 2019 Pacific Games.
He remained positive despite losing to Garside.
“I felt good throughout the fight,” Ume said.
“I thought I did enough in the first round but it wasn’t to be.
Ume said he had no excuses about his preparation leading up to the Olympic fight.
“That is how it was with the impact of Covid-19,” he said.
Keto said: “I thought John’s defence was really strong.
“Some areas need improvement and that is something we will work on in the future.
“We got some really good support and feedback from the Australian coaches who praised John.”
Ume and Keto will now turn their attention to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.