Better chances in women's boxing?

MILAN – With the introduction of women’s boxing in the Olympic calendar starting in London in 2012, the Philippines will improve its chances of ending the country’s long medal drought in the Summer Games.

The Philippines hasn’t claimed an Olympic medal since lightflyweight Onyok Velasco bagged a silver at the 1996 Atlanta edition. That will mean a drought of 16 years when London hosts the quadrennial event.

Boxing has so far contributed two silver and three bronze medals in the Olympics and the country’s last four medals came from the sport. The overall tally shows nine Olympic medals for the Philippines since 1924.

The Philippines made its Olympic boxing debut in Los Angeles in 1932 with Jose (Cely) Villanueva snatching a bronze. The next medal came in 1964 with Villanueva’s son Anthony settling for the silver after a hard-fought finals against Russia’s Stanislav Stepashkin. Then it was Leopoldo Serrantes’ turn to bag a bronze in 1988. Roel Velasco took a bronze in 1992 then younger brother Onyok pocketed a silver four years later.

In 1952, the Olympic boxing program provided two bronze medals for the losing semifinalists instead of staging a box-off for third and since then, six Filipino fighters wound up a win short of a medal – Rodolfo Arpon in 1964, Reynaldo Fortaleza in 1976, Leopoldo Cantancio in 1984, Roberto Jalnaiz in 1992, Ronald Chavez in 1992 and Elias Recaido in 1996.

A low point in the Philippines’ Olympic boxing history was when only Harry Tañamor qualified for the Beijing Games last year. There were three qualifying tournaments – the World Championships in Chicago and two Asian competitions – but only Tañamor made the grade. As it turned out, the pressure weighed too heavy on Tañamor’s shoulders and he lost to Ghana’s Manyo Plange in the first round of eliminations.

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ABAP secretary-general Patrick Gregorio’s goal is to qualify four male fighters for London. It’s a tall order but the mission isn’t impossible.

Tañamor, 31, wants another crack at the Olympics before calling it a career. The age limit for Olympic boxing is 34 and after 2012, Tañamor will lose his eligibility. The other fighters who competed in the World Championships here are just as determined to qualify – bantamweight Joan Tipon, featherweight Charly Suarez, lightweight Joegin Ladon and lightwelterweight Genebert Basadre.

If Tañamor qualifies, it will be as a flyweight because the 48-kilogram division has been scrapped. Basadre said he will drop down a division and try to qualify as a lightweight which is a challenge to Ladon.

Then there are the promising youngsters ready to take over from the veterans – pinweight Gerson Nietes, 17, flyweights Rey Saludar, 21, and Aston Palicte, 18 and lightwelterweight Jame Boy Vicera, 19.

But while the men are setting their sights on the P12 million bonus promised by ABAP chairman Manny V. Pangilinan for the fighter or fighters who win an Olympic gold in London, the women are also in the thick of the hunt.

Qualifiers will be held to determine the 12 female fighters competing in three divisions in London. The weight classes are flyweight (48 to 51 kilograms), lightweight (56 to 60 kilograms) and middleweight (69 to 75 kilograms).

Three Filipinas brought back medals from the AIBA Women’s World Championships in Ningbo City last year. They were lightbantamweight (52 kilograms) Annie Albania with a silver and pinweight (46 kilograms) Josie Gabuco and flyweight (50 kilograms) Analisa Cruz with a bronze each.

Because of the limited weight categories in London, Albania may try to qualify as a lightweight, allowing Gabuco and Cruz to vie for the flyweight slot. But it could be a weighty issue for Albania who’ll jump from a division with a limit of 51 kilograms to another with a ceiling of 60.

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Out of the picture is two-time World Championships bronze medalist Michel Martinez who will be overage at 36 in 2012. Martinez was a quarterfinalist as a lightweight in Ningbo City.

The final details to formalize women’s boxing in the Olympic program will be discussed in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting in Lausanne this December.

Last August, the IOC Executive Board voted to include women’s boxing in the London calendar. The decision ended boxing’s exclusivity as a male sport in the Olympics.

AIBA initially proposed to stage women’s boxing in five weight divisions from 47 to 75 kilograms with eight fighters in each category. But the compromise was a limit of 12 fighters in three divisions, bringing down the participation from 40 to 36.

“I can only rejoice about the decision to include women’s boxing to the Olympic Games,” said IOC president Dr. Jacques Rogge of Belgium. “Women’s boxing is a great addition since boxing was the only summer Olympic sport without a female discipline. Women’s boxing has progressed a lot in the last five years and it’s time to include (the event).”

AIBA spokesman Richard Baker added, “The thousands of female athletes who practice religiously and compete in national, intercontinental and international competitions with the dream of one day, possible being able to celebrate the world’s greatest sporting occasion, deserve the opportunity.”

For the Philippines, the inclusion of women’s boxing in the London calendar is a welcome development. Who knows? The P12 Million prize may just end up in the hands of a female.