AN INTERVIEW WITH LEON PANONCILLO, THE MAN BEHIND WBO ASIA PACIFIC SUCCESS
By Salven L. Lagumbay
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 06 Jun 2007
Panoncillo (C) poses with AJ (L) and Rey in Las Vegas.
We all know that Fil/Am Hawaiian based WBO Asia Pacific chairman Leon Panoncillo has done a lot for Philippine boxing, but how far has he gone so far? In a exclusive interview yesterday I asked Mr. Panoncillo how is the WBO organization doing in Asia:
Philboxing: Leon its nice to see you again since seeing you in Las Vegas, after that great win for the Philippines from Boom Boom, are you proud to see that the boxer you first sanctioned in Cebu won the fight?
LP: It was really a difficult match for Boom Boom however, he showed courage, he showed maturity, it was surely a match between the legitimate number one and legitimate number two contenders, producing the best match-ups between top two fighters in the world, it was the best fight of the night. It was surely not made for Bautista to automatically win, Boom Boom had to go out there and prove to everyone that he is the best and to be recognized rightfully as the mandatory challenger for the current world champion Daniel Ponce De Leon, and he proved it.
Philboxing: Can you give us a prediction on the match with World WBO reigning Jr. featherweight champion Ponce De Leon and Philippines pride Rey 'Thailand has noticed but now most of the Asian countries like Philippines, Korea, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand are now doing it?
LP: Well, its been 11 years in the making and it was not easy, I am always determined to succeed, first its about earning the trust and proving to promoters that after winning the regional title, that immediately they will be world ranked. Ranking is also according to their professional record standing, who they fought and how many times they defend the title is how we usually determine the placements. Promoters see results and they notice that I am not only there to collect sanctioning fees, but to give all regional champions opportunities that they obviously deserve. Moreover, our sanctioning fees are at minimal and its very affordable to all promoters, that's why they are more keen on doing it.
Philboxing: How is your WBO Asia Pacific Youth title doing? And how many champions have already occupied the YOUTH division?
LP: Its been overwhelming...the first time I introduced this idea to the President and my Board members of the Asia Pacific, they were very excited about the idea. I informed the WBO President that it will give opportunities to top talents among boxers 23 years and under. It will give them recognition and credibility while they are still in the YOUTH category. Nowadays, most managers want to give their young boxers experience before hitting it in the world ranking, I really think it give them more self confidence, more determination and more willingness to train because they have something that they own, surely, it will prepare them for the future.
I have noticed that sometimes young fighters around that age bracket who become world contenders have been build up for record purposes, and yes they do get opportunities however, they are more likely to lose a fight because of inexperience of being in that position. With being the YOUTH champion, its supervised and sanctioned to challenge against qualified boxers with acceptable records. Instead of just being built up, they now need to fight someone of a credible record to get ahead as a Youth champion while gaining much-needed experience. This is why I have developed this program to better the legitimacy of our YOUTH boxers and surely they will earn their way to the world title with positive results. Currently now, the WBO YOUTH is in Philippines, Korea, Indonesia and we just had two Youth championship scheduled last June 4, 2007 at Rayong province in Thailand, what a great start and its an honor to be part of developing YOUTH around Asia. I do want to thank the WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel in giving me the support of having to develop this program.
Philboxing: What about the Boxing World Cup, is it going to push through in the Philippines or is it going to be at Sacramento, California?
LP: I am in touch with SGG Sports Promotions of Mr. Sammy Gello-ani in regards to this matter however, I read it on the Internet that it has been scheduled in California. It would have been nice to see the World Cup in my Asian territory, well wherever it will be I am sure it will be a great show.
Philboxing: Any last words that you may want to say?
LP: I am gratified that we have established many regional champions throughout the Philippines and around Asia and about six of our WBO Asia Pacific regional champions are currently ranked number one in the world, which will possibly be fighting for world title soon. We have established connections with new promotional outfits in Korea, China, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand that I would like to personally thank for participating.
The WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel is very pleased with our fast growth in Asia however, we would like to also mention that we have continued to have fully dedicated ourselves to the WBO Kids Drug Free Program and Outreach Programs to less privileged kids in the world. These programs and efforts have seen incalculable positive results here in Asia. Remember always to take care of our next generation because they are our foundation for our future.
Thank you.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Salven L. Lagumbay.
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