Pugs pursue bid for more Athens berths

THE RP-Alaxan FR team leaves tomorrow for Guangzhou, China with high hopes of bringing home at least three more Athens Olympics berths after the China Olympics Qualifying Tournament.

Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president and Federation of Asian Amateur Boxing (FAAB) secretary-general Manny Lopez said that the association is bent on gaining more Olympics berths to give the Philippines chances to capture a first-ever Olympic gold medal.

"We are bringing to China only four boxers but all of them have ability to take home at least the silver medal and an Olympic berth. We already have three qualifiers but we have to bring more to Athens in an all-out bid to finally give our country its first ever Olympic gold medal," Lopez quipped.

The RP-Alaxan FR Team, composed of 2003 Southeast Asian Games light flyweight gold medalist Harry Tanamor, bantamweight Ferdie Gamo, featherweight Roel Laguna and lightweight Genebert Basadre and coached by George Caliwan and Boy Velasco will be pitted against the best of the Asian boxing community. They are bidding to join compatriots Violito Payla, Romeo Brin and Christopher Camat, who have qualified in the Palawan event.

In the Palawan qualifier, Tanamor narrowly missed the Olympic berth when he lost to Chinese World Cup champion Zou Shiming in the quarterfinals by just two points, scored only in the dying seconds of their four-round bout.

"This second qualifying tournament will be easier since the better ones have already qualified in their divisions last January after the Asian Boxing Championships in Palawan, Tanamor, Gamo, Laguna and Basadre will have more than even chances of making it to Athens and thus reinforce the country’s hunt for the elusive Olympic gold medal," Lopez said.

„They (boxers) have been prepared well by the coaching staff and are in top shape at this time. We at the ABAP know that these boxers have what it takes to be in the Olympics.‰

>From the Chinese tournament will emerge 20 qualifiers ˆ the gold and silver medalists in nine weight divisions from light flyweight to light heavyweight and the gold winners in the heavyweight and super heavyweight classes.

Gamo, Laguna and Basadre will be in their first qualifying campaigns. They were picked out by the coaching staff from the national pool after coming up with higher grades than earlier aspirants Arlan Lerio, Junard Ladon and Florencio Ferrer.

A third qualifying tournament, set in Karachi, Pakistan, will be held on April 23 to 28.