Barriga, Suarez pro boxers na

MANILA, Philippines - Mula sa pagiging amateur ay kakampanya sina Olympian Mark Barriga at veteran Charly Suarez bilang professional fighters sa ilalim ng AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) ng International Boxing Association.

Ang APB ay isang bagong organisasyon kung saan ang mga boksingerong lumalaban bilang professional ay maaari pa ring sumabak sa Olympics at Asian Games.

Ayon kay Alliance of Boxing Associations of the Philippines (ABAP) executive director Ed Picson, ang light flyweight na si Barriga at ang lightweight na si Suarez ay pinili mula sa mga top amateur boxers ng world governing body para sa APB na magsisimula sa Oktubre.

“AIBA will have its own professional league. There, they will get guaranteed purse per fight and without the usual boxing managers and fight promoters; ABAP, as the national federation, will serve as their manager and will take care of their training while AIBA will take care of everything else,” wika ni Picson.

“And even if they are classified as pros, they can still compete in the Olympics and the Asian Games, though not in the Southeast Asian Games,” dagdag pa nito.

Kakampanya sina Barriga at Suarez sa World Series of Boxing (WSB) team boxing competitions bilang bahagi ng Italian Thunder squad.

“Unlike in the WSB, where Barriga and Suarez are based abroad for some three months for training, the APB will allow them to train in the Phl under ABAP; they will only leave a few days before their fights. And when the Asian Games and Olympics come, they can compete,” ani Picson.

Nag-aalok din ang APB ng mga silya para sa Olympics.

Sa ilalim ng APB, ang mga boksingero ay binibigyan ng apat na laban bawat taon.