Palawan to stage RP Open boxing

The nationwide search for new talents gets a big lift this coming April when the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines holds its National Open Boxing Championships for men and women in Palawan.

The tournament, expected to attract all the boxing clubs in the country, is set April 6-12 in Puerto Princesa City with no less than Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes hosting the event.

ABAP secretary-general Renato Fortaleza said those eligible to participate in the event which will hold competitions in nine weight classes are men and women boxers between 16 and 23 years of age or those born between April 13, 1980 and April 13, 1987.

Competitions will be in the pinweight (45 kg), light flyweight (48 kg), flyweight (51 kg), bantamweight (54 kg), featherweight (57kg), lightweight (60 kg), light welterweight (64 kg), welterweight (69 kg) and middleweight (75kg) divisions.

Fortaleza added that the National Open will complement the association’s 2003 calendar geared at finding more talents to be added to the national training pool now deep in preparation for big international tournaments and the coming Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Asian Amateur Boxing (FAAB), under the reins of its new secretary-general Manny Lopez, concurrently the ABAP president, has started implementing the new weight categories for national and international tournaments.

Seventeen weight divisions are now being used for kids and midgets aged 14 years and under and 12 in the female and cadet (15 to 16 years). The seniors have 12 weight classes.

For the kids and midgets, the weight divisions are: No Weight (26 kg), light cottonweight (27 kg), cottonweight (26 kg), light kiddieweight (30 kg), kiddieweight (31 kg), antweight (32 kg), light minimumweight (33 kg), minimumweight (34 kg), light powderweight (35 kg), powderweight (36 kg), light mosquitoweight (37 kg), mosquitoweight (38 kg), light vacuumweight (39 kg), vacuumweight (40 kg), light paperweight (41 kg) and paperweight (42 kg).

For the female and cadet divisions, the weight classes are: pinweight (46 kg), light flyweight (48kg), flyweight (50 kg), bantamweight (52 kg), featherweight (54 kg), lightweight (57 kg), light welterweight (63 kg), welterweight (66 kg), middleweight (70 kg), light heavyweight (75 kg), heavyweight (80 kg) and super heavyweight (86+ kg).