Two teams will be formed so the country can participate simultaneously in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia and the world championships in Germany, the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) said.
The decision was reached during the ABAP’s planning session over the weekend in Baguio City.
The ABAP was forced to prepare two different squads since the SEAG and the worlds will be held at around the same time.
The SEAG in Kuala Lumpur is scheduled Aug. 19-31 while the world slugfest is penciled for Aug. 25 to Sept. 3 in Hamburg.
The Philippines is the defending SEAG champion but will face stiff resistance from Thailand, which is hellbent in staging a comeback following a dismal showing in Singapore two years ago.
Thai boxing is in fact fresh from a revamp following the acquisition of a Cuban coach and the raising of over 100 million Thai Baht to finance its buildup for the SEAG and the world event.
Actually, the world championships will have a continental qualifying with that of Asia taking place in Indonesia in May.
The top six in each weight class will earn spots to Germany.
To get ready for the major events, stints in China and Sri Lanka are in the pipeline for the boxers.
If the ABAP can sustain its rapport with the Philippine Sports Commission, the possibility of spending some time in Cuba could also be considered.
