Pinay pugs to join Chinese camp for Olympic qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines - As the race for berths to the first-ever women’s boxing event in the Olympics heats up, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines is arranging for Filipino boxers a training camp with their Chinese counterparts ahead of the May 9-20 London-qualifying meet in China.

ABAP executive director Ed Picson said they have requested to send their Olympic aspirants to China by third week of April for possible workouts with the Chinese national team right away before plunging into action in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Qinhuangdao.

“We’re hoping they will respond favorably and allow our female boxers to train with the Chinese women’s national team so they will get sharper for the qualifiers,” Picson said yesterday.

At present, the ABAP has not yet identified its final bets to the qualifiers, where berths to 51, 60 and 75-kg divisions are at stake.

Asian championships bronze medalists Alice Kate Appari (51 kgs) and Nesthy Petecio (54 kgs) and SEA Games champion Josie Gabuco (46 kgs) are contesting the lone slot for the ABAP’s 51-kg spot while Rica Aquino and Janice Vallares are disputing the 60-kg.

“We’re holding box-offs for whoever will be brought to China as our official representatives to the qualifiers and we’ll be doing that in the next couple of weeks probably,” said Picson.

The Pinay pugs will look to land in the Top 8 to make it to London, where only light-flyweight Mark Anthony Barriga is assured of a booking so far.

Barriga and his male teammates are currently in chilly Astana, Kazakhstan, site of the 2012 AIBA Asian Olympic Qualifying Event slated April 5-13.The group has been there since March 24 to acclimatize and spar with Kazakh, Indonesian and Japanese pugs as final buildup for the final qualifiers.

Five Phl boxers are vying for London berths – Rey Saludar (52 kgs), Joegin Ladon (56 kgs), Charley Suarez (60 kgs), Dennis Galvan (64 kgs) and Wilfredo Lopez (69 kgs).

To qualify in their respective divisions, Saludar and Galvan need to win a bronze medal, Ladon and Lopez have to be in the Top 3, and Suarez should capture the gold.

“Based on the report of our coaches, our boxers are doing okay there. They are getting used to the cold weather; their conditioning is good and they are moving well,” said Picson.