The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) and national training director Marc Velasco are joining hands this week in an effort to maintain the fighting form of the men’s elite and youth squads.
In the absence of topnotch meets overseas in the remainder of the year, the ABAP wants to make sure that its national team mainstays remain on active duty, executive director Ed Picson said yesterday.
Following the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia and the AIBA World Championships in Germany, the men’s squad has been left without something to look forward to towards the end of the year.
But Picson believes gathering them all together in a setting that is conducive to training would remedy the problem.
In 2018, the most important event would be the Asian Games in Indonesia in August and Picson insists that the ABAP will be moving heaven and earth to guarantee that those who will be sent will be the best available.
A meeting with the coaching staff is also in the offing to determine what steps to undertake as the ABAP aims to improve on its one silver and two bronze performance four years ago in Incheon.
Another meet the ABAP is giving paramount importance to next year is the world youth championships following the emergence of two bright prospects in Kenneth Dela Peña and John Vincent Pangga, both gold medalists in the Asian Juniors held last month in Palawan.
