Ang Visayas leg ng Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippine Area tournament sa Marso 22-27 ay magkatulong na iho-host ng Ormoc City at kalapit na bayan ng Kananga, sa Leyte.
Inihayag ni ABAP executive director Ed Picson kahapon na kapwa tanggap ng magkapatid na Mayor Eric Codilla ng Ormoc at Mayor Elmer Codilla ng Kananga ang oportunidad na makatulong sa pagpapalakas ng amateur boxing sa bansa.
“It is an honor for Ormoc and Kananga to be part of the quest for the Olympic gold by giving the amateur boxers in the Visayas an opportunity to hone their competitive skills. We are also anxious to show to our visitors our own brand of hospitality in Leyte,” wika ng magkapatid na Codillas.
Ito ay sa pagsisikap ng ABAP na mabigyan ang mga boksingero ng laban upang mapanatiling nasa kondisyon,
Inihayag ni Picson ito ay bahagi ng assessment ng Cuba coaches na kinuha para magasiste sa pagsasanay ng national boxers.
“Our goal is to give our amateur boxers more fights. Our Cuban coaches pointed out that Filipino boxers are lucky to fight six to eight times a year while Cuban fighters each have about 30 matches a year,” ani Picson.
“We hope to address that deficiency by having regular tournaments locally and joining more international competitions. This is the mandate from ABAP chairman Manny V. Pangilinan and president Ricky Vargas.”
Pagkatapos ng Visayas leg, susunod naman ang Luzon sa April 14-18, Mindanao sa May 10-15, at Southern Tagalog sa June 5-10.