Back to basics for Lopez

In 1986, Mel Lopez initiated a grassroots program in Manila to introduce boxing to inner city youth. It wasn't just to ferret out future prospects.

Lopez' main goal was to offer a sports alternative for kids who are often victimized by drug pushers and gangs in the streets. He sought a way to a better life for the next generation.

Today, Lopez is as enthusiastic in promoting the gospel of physical fitness at the grassroots level as he was when he started the program 16 years ago. The fire in his belly continues to burn.

Lopez, 66, says his life has been a roller-coaster ride, like riding in an elevator-sometimes, you're up, sometimes, you're down. No one could be more modest than Lopez who has lived a charmed life. As a Manila Mayor and a Philippine Sports Commission Chairman, he left a time-honored legacy for his outstanding achievements. As a businessman, he can't complain. His family-owned company has contracts as a road builder and supplier of concrete aggregates all over the country and is well-respected in the industry.

But Lopez isn't the type to rest on his laurels. No wonder he's back to where he began—promoting sports consciousness to the youth of Manila.

This summer, Lopez reached out to over 1,200 kids in over 50 areas in Manila in the resumption of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) grassroots program. He brought along ABAP coaches Roel Velasco, Roger Fortaleza, Mario Tizon, Ernesto Coronel, Ernesto Andan, Vic Galido, Jackie Trillana, and Sav Rey Santos to conduct clinics for six to eight days per stop. Each clinic used a curriculum comprising eight boxing lessons that taught the fundamentals of jabbing, footwork, and combination-punching, among others.

And it isn't just boxing, notes Lopez. "We want to instill discipline in the kids and teach them moral values," continues Lopez whose heart bypass operation in 1988 didn't deter him from pursuing his dream. "Through sports, we hope to bring the youth out from the streets and expose them to positive things in life."

Lopez is careful not to scare away parents from encouraging their children to take up boxing. When he tours Manila's depressed areas with his ABAP team, Lopez doesn't use a ring for the clinics. Apparently, the image of a ring frightens some parents into thinking that their children will be hurt or turned into ruthless gladiators.

Lopez says more than any other sport, boxing is perfect for physical fitness. Proof is the recent surge of interest in boxing among matrons, professionals, and students who appreciate the aerobics workout their bodies get from it. Boxing isn't necessarily confrontational unless you take it to the level of competition.

Lopez' grassroots program is open to boys and girls from 10 to 15 years old. There are exceptions, of course, as Lopez finds it difficult to turn down kids less than 10 begging for a chance to shadow box with Velasco, a 1992 Olympic bronze medallist, or the other ABAP coaches. After the sessions, T-shirts and certificates of completion are given to the participants.

Those interested to get involved in boxing more seriously and show an aptitude for the sport are screened by the ABAP staff. Some are recommended for further training in the ABAP camps at Rizal Memorial, Tagaytay, and Baguio.

Regarding the country's chances at the Asian Games this September, Lopez says he's left it to his son Manny to confront the International Amateur Boxing Association "mafia" led by Anwar Chowdhury of Pakistan. It remains to be seen whether the Philippines can bounce back from a gold medal shutout four years ago to regain glory in Busan. Lopez expects the Philippines to assemble a competitive squad that will give favorites Thailand, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan a run for their money.

What Filipino fighters lack is good footwork, he notes. It's the missing link in their arsenal. Take Cuban Joel Casamayor, Lopez points out. Casamayor was a lean-framed bantamweight who knocked out Filipino Roberto Jalnaiz in the first round of a quarterfinals bout at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He wasn't physically imposing but his footwork was impeccable.

Casamayor drew power from his legs and his footwork brought additional leverage to his punches.

To stress the point, Lopez demonstrates how a fighter's punches should be coordinated with footwork during the clinics. He explains that footwork in boxing is also useful in other sports like basketball, table tennis, and badminton. Lopez, naturally, knows what of he speaks—he used to play varsity hoops at Jose Rizal College and was an amateur boxer himself.

Someday, the Philippines will capture its first gold medal at the Olympics. It will probably come from boxing. I'm sure Lopez will be the happiest man alive at that moment of glory—particularly, if the fighter is a product of ABAP's grassroots program.