Filipino boxers resume Rio Olympic bid

MANILA, Philippines - There’s no stopping members of the Philippine national boxing team from seeking slots to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Just days after the ASBC Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok, the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines yesterday looked forward to the Rio qualifiers.

Light-flyweight Rogen Ladon and welterweight Eumir Felix Marcial won silver medals in Bangkok, and earned tickets to the AIBA World Championships in Doha, Qatar from Oct. 5 to 15.

The Doha event offers slots to the Rio Olympics.

Ladon beat boxers from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Mongolia before losing to the top-seeded bet from Uzbekistan in the finals in Bangkok.

But the humble 21-year-old said he’s ready for Doha.

“I’m focused. I know the competition is tough,” said Ladon in Filipino during yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

Marcial also vowed to do his best in Doha, saying making it to the Olympics has been his life-long dream, and a promise he made to his 66-year-old father.

He did very well in Bangkok, beating seeded foes from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Thailand and Japan before losing to the world No. 1 from Kazakhstan in the finals.

“I will do my best in the World Championships. It’s always been my dream to compete in the Olympics. This is my chance. I will not waste it,” he said.

They were joined in the forum by ABAP executive director Ed Picson and coaches Boy Velasco and Reynaldo Galido.

Lightweight Charly Suarez will see action in the APB Pro Boxing tournament in Uzbekistan later this month, a tournament also geared toward the Rio Olympics.

The APB is a gathering of the world’s top 80 amateurs in 10 weight classes, and is professional in nature, with bouts in the heavyweight divisions lasting 12 rounds.

So far, the 27-year-old Suarez, who did not reach the medal rounds in Bangkok, is running third in the lightweight class.

At the end of the APB cycle, the top two boxers in each weight class earns automatic slots to the Rio Olympics set Aug. 5 to 21 next year.

Picson said Suarez needs to move up in rankings to make to the Olympics.

“He must win his next fight. And if he overtakes the number two boxer in his weight class, he qualifies to the Olympics,” Picson said.

There are other Olympic qualifying events for the Filipino boxers – the Asia Oceania on March 23 to April 3 in China and the World Qualifying on June 7 to 19 in Azerbaijan.

Suarez, according to coach Velasco, is 3-3 in the APB, winning his first fight, losing three in a row, and winning his last two.

Currently ranked No. 1 in the lightweight class is Uzbekistan’s Hurshiv Tojibaev while running second is Russia’s Dimitry Polyanskiy.

Picson said if Suarez fails to land in the top two, he will have another chance when the APB boxers ranked third to eighth meets their counterparts from the World Series of Boxing.

“That’s another window for Charly – when the APB and WSB boxers ranked third to eighth will slug it out in another qualifying tournament for the Rio Olympics,” said Picson.