Pugs aim high with mix of youth, experience

Manny Lopez, president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, watched from ringside as the nine RP boxers bound for the Vietnam SEA Games held a final sparring session the other day just outside the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

He liked what he saw.

"Now I can say that we’re a hundred percent ready and we’re all confident heading into the battle," said Lopez after the afternoon sparring session that was held in full view of the public and on a boxing ring specially constructed on the stadium’s parking lot.

The RP boxers, along with the members of the all-Filipino coaching staff, will leave for Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) tomorrow, all of them armed with a vast experience in international competitions that brought them to countries like Lithuania, Spain, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam this year alone.

Lopez said he believes that the RP fighters, a perfect mixture of youth and experience, are determined and, more importantly capable, to bring home the bacon and hand the overall title back to the Philippines.

To carry the fight in Vietnam are Juanito Magliquian (45 kgs), Harry Tanamor (48), Violito Payla (51), Joan Tipon (54), Roel Laguna (57), Anthony Igusquiza (60), Mark Jason Melligen (64), Francis Joven (69) and Fil-American Chris Camat (75).

The coaching staff is made up of George Caliwan, Boy Velasco and Pat Gaspi. Also joining the team are referee/judge Esteban de Jesus and Mario de Guia. Ruben Roque is team manager.

Of the nine RP boxers, Lopez is pinning his hopes on those in the lighter divisions, like Magliquian, a two-time SEAG gold medalist; Tanamor, a bronze medalist in the World Championships and silver medalist in the 2001 Busan Asian Games; and Payla, silver medalist in the recent Afro-Asia Games and a gold medalist in the 2002 Bolado Cup in Cuba.

Opposition, of course, will come from perennial SEA Games rival Thailand or Malaysia and even Vietnam, which is hell bent in making their hosting a very memorable one.

Lopez, however, remains unfazed.

"Our primary objective is to regain boxing supremacy in the region," said Lopez who, at least for now, can only look back at the 1991 Manila SEA Games where our local boxers, led by the celebrated Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco, won eight of the 12 gold medals disputed on top of two silver and two bronze medals.

Aside from Velasco, who won the gold in the 45 kg class, other gold medalists in that "Miracle of ’91" were Elias Recaido (48), Isidro Vicera (51), Bobby Jalnaiz (54), Julito Lopez (57), Leopoldo Cantancio (60), Arlo Chavez (63.5) and Victor Vicera (67).

It’s never been the same again for RP amateur boxing as far as the SEA Games is concerned, being held to five gold medals in Singapore in 1993, one in Chiang Mai in 1995, one in Jakarta in 1997, two in Brunei in 1999 and none in Kuala Lumpur in 2001.

In other fronts, though, the Philippines has had some major success on top of the ring with a couple of bronze and silver medals in the Olympics (courtesy of Roel and Mansueto Velasco) and gold medals in the Asian Games (courtesy of Mansueto Velasco, Recaido and Reynaldo Galido).

But to win more in these other battles, success must begin at the SEA Games level, according to Lopez, who inherited the ABAP leadership from his father, former Manila Mayor and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Gemiliano Lopez.

"That’s why we’re going all out in Vietnam. We’ve trained hard for this and we’ve worked hard like the rest of the RP athletes in the delegation," said Lopez, now secretary-general of the Asian Amateur Boxing Federation.

"We will not go home empty-handed this time because I’m sure that our boxers, from the smallest to those in the heavier divisions, will give it their best," he said.