DRAW OF OPENING BOUTS IN BAKU OLYMPIC QUALIFER AT 7:00 P.M.
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 16 Jun 2016
The Philippines two Olympic hopefuls chances of securing a berth in the Rio Olympic Games this August will depend on the crucial draw to be held at 7:00 p.m. today, Manila Time, in Baku, Azerbaijan where the last qualifying tournament will begin on Thursday.
The executive director of the Alliance of Boxing Associations in the Philippines or ABAP, Ed Picson, informed The Standard that the all-important draw will be held at 3:00 p.m. Ajerbaijan time which is four hours behind Manila Time.
Picson said the draw and the first two fights will be critical in the efforts of flyweight Ian Clark Bautista and welterweight Eumir Felix Marcial to try and reach an Olympic qualifying slot since five boxers from each weight division will make it.
Picson said Bautista and Marcial were in great condition and physically and mentally ready to give it their best shot in a determined bid to join light flyweight Rogen Ladon and lightweight Charly Suarez who won silver medals in the earlier qualifier in Qian?an, China and made the Olympic roster. Ladon and Suarez are currently in Las Vegas continuing their preparations under ?Dodong? Donaire, trainer/father of five division world champion Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire who is expected to defend his WBO super bantamweight crown against mandatory challenger Jesse Magdaleno sometime in September.
Donaire will handle the two Olympic boxers in the absence of Nonito ?Boy? Velasco and Romeo Brin who are in Baku with Bautista and Marcial.
In the meantime AIBA reports that Rio?s Olympic Boxing venue is ready to receive the world?s top boxers in August.
Pavillion 6 of the Riocentro exhibition centre in Rio?s Barra da Tijuca district is the state-of-the-art arena set to host the world?s top 286 men and women boxers as they battle for Olympic gold in August. Officially unveiled last month, the 9,000-capacity venue is ready to be handed over to AIBA for the competition running from 6-21 June.
Boxing fans will be housed in the 7,225 square-metre sports complex with perfect, unobstructed views of the action from every seat. The men?s competition will see 250 boxers going for gold across ten categories, while 36 women will compete in the three female Olympic weight classes.
Following the Women?s World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan last month, the three champions from the inaugural women?s competition at London 2012, Nicola Adams, Katie Taylor and Claressa Shields, have all qualified to defend their titles in Rio.
Photo: Olympic hopefull Ian Clark Bautista (R) with ABAP executive director Ed Picson.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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