The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) has lined up a rigid training program for its Olympians and hopefuls in the coming months for the 2016 Rio Games in August.
Coach Boy Velasco yesterday said the national team would start its intense training in Baguio today while also hoping that their foreign preparations, possibly in the United States, would be finalized for the prestigious quadrennial meet.
The country has light flyweight Rogen Ladon and lightweight Charly Suarez as Olympic bets, but ABAP still eyes for more qualifiers for both men’s and women’s divisions this month and in June.
Nesthy Petecio will vie for an Olympic berth in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships on May 19 to 27 in Astana, Kazakhstan, while the men’s lineup has yet to be finalized for the AIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament set on June 7 to 19 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The top 3 female boxers and the top 5 male fighters will earn Olympic tickets in the said qualifiers.
“Kaunti na lang naman ang kailangang i-improve ng mga boksingero natin, pero gusto nating i-maintain yung kondisyon nila pagdating sa Olympics,” said Velasco, who appeared with Ladon and Suarez in the weekly PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate.
Apart from Baguio training, ABAP also plans to send its Olympians to training in the United States to further intensify their preparations.
ABAP Executive Director Ed Picson said Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan has already given the go-signal in their foreign trip, but they are still ironing things out on which places they wanted to expose the boxers.