Filipino pugs to train overseas for Asian Games gold medal bid

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine boxing team is putting full focus on ending its gold medal drought in the Asian Games.

That is why it has set up two training camps leading up to the quadrennial meet set from September 21 to October 2 in Aichi, Japan.

“That’s our goal, of course,” Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Marcus Manalo yesterday told The STAR.

The country’s last gold came 16 years ago when Rey Saludar copped the flyweight mint in Foshan, China.

From there, the Filipinos managed just a silver at best courtesy of lightweight Charly Suarez in Incheon, South Korea in 2014, flyweight Rogen Ladon in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018 and middleweight Eumir Marcial in 2022 in Hangzhou, China.

And Manalo hopes the long wait for the gold ends in Aichi.

“We are participating in the pre-Asian Games training camp arranged by Asian Boxing, which has two phases,” said Manalo referring to the first one in Bangkok, Thailand, and the other in Nishio City, Japan from next month to September.

Manalo said they’re practically sending the brigade headed by Olympic medalists Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Aira Villegas to achieve that goal.

For Marcial, who was supposed to be part of the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather undercard before it was postponed, he now focused fully for Aichi.

“Even prior to the postponement, he has committed for the Asian Games,” said Manalo of Marcial.