Busy year for Filipino pugs

The members of the Philippine amateur boxing team are fully booked this year.

After winning two gold medals in the recent Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines under Manny Lopez is looking at a long list of international tournaments to join.

According to ABAP secretary-general Roger Fortaleza, on top of the list this February is a tournament in New Delhi to be followed by the bigger Chemistry Cup in Halle, Germany in March.

In April, there’ll be a couple of big-time tournaments on tap — the Cordova and Balado in Havana, Cuba, and the annual King’s Cup in Thailand where the best Thai boxers are paraded.

A trip to Istanbul, Turkey awaits the RP pugs in May, to be followed by a two tournaments in June — the President’s Cup in Kazakhstan and another one in France.

Nothing has been lined up for July, but August will be another busy one with RP boxers expected to be joining the Seoul Cup and a world-class tournament in Romania.

In September, Mongolia will host one, and in October it will be the turn of Finland to lure the world’s finest amateur boxers.

The first Asian qualifying tournament for the 2008 Olympics is set in November when the World Championships is held in Morocco. The two other Asian qualifiers will be in the Philippines and Thailand in 2008.

Two national tournaments have been lined up by the ABAP in April and October. These events will be very crucial for those bidding for slots to the SEA Games in Thailand in December and even the Olympics.

"Everybody will have to start from scratch. There will be no seeded boxers for the SEA Games and Olympics," said Fortaleza, explaining that Asian Games gold medalists Violita Payla (51 kg) and Joan Tipon (54 kg) will have to undergo the elimination process. — Abac Cordero