ABAP under scrutiny after Asian debacle

Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella yesterday sought for the re-evaluation of the programs of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines following the RP team’s debacle in the second and last Asian Olympic Qualifier in Astana, Kazakhstan.

“They (ABAP) can not do it alone, we should join hands and unite the programs of all amateur boxing communities in the country,” said Puentevella, who is the country’s chief de mission to this August’s Beijing Olympics.

Puentevella voiced his concern on RP boxing after the five-man squad suffered an embarrassing shutout in the Kazakhstan tilt, leaving lightfly Harry Tañamor as the lone Filipino fighter in the Olympic Games slated Aug. 8-24 in Beijing.

Flyweight Godfrey Castro, a last minute replacement for the injured Violito Payla, blew his two chances for an Olympic berth following losses to Uzbekistan’s G Donirayov in the semifinals and India’s Kumar Jintender in the box-off.

ABAP president Manny Lopez apologized for the country’s disappointing campaign, which duplicated the team’s shutout loss in the first Olympic elims in Bangkok last January.

Puentevella, also the Philippine Olympic Committee’s first vice president and RP weightlifting chief, pushed for strengthening of the country’s grassroots development program in the sport.

Puentevella said he has already established a stable of boxers aged 14 to 18 years old in Bacolod, all products of the annual Monico Golden Gloves.

Puentevella said he would personally convince North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Piñol, boxing aficionado Tony Aldeguer and other boxing clubs to join hands in an effort to develop and train new boxers in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

“We need new faces on the ring, we need a steady stream of talents for us to win a gold medal in the Olympics,” said Puentevella. “But we can only do that if we pool our resources together.”

Philippine Sports Commission chair William “Butch” Ramirez earlier expressed plans of retaining Cuban coaches Juan Enriquez Steyners Tissert and Dagoberto Rojas Scott even after the Beijing Games.

Ramirez said Tissert and Rojas, both tapped only last month, would handle the country’s grassroots development program aimed at winning the country an Olympic gold medal.

Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco snared a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games but RP failed to deliver another one in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games.