Ring Official Rues PH Boxing's Failure to Assimilate Pacquiao's Winning Formula
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 08 Jul 2024
Greg Ortega.
Greg Ortega, president of the Association of Philippine Professional Boxing Ring Officials (APPBRO) bewails the failure of Philippine boxing to assimilate Manny Pacquiao's formula to ring success.
On the contrary, Pacquiao's winning formula of essentially combining power with speed and skills has been adopted by our closest rival Japan which has resulted to their dominance in boxing especially in the lower weights, Ortega claims.
Ortega was special guest in our weekly Sport Lang radio boxing program anchored by Romuel Alarcon at Radyo Pilipinas 2 and discussed mainly on the improvements in Philippine ring officiating as judging and refereeing but likewise spoke his mind on what is ailing Pinoy boxing.
He said that through APPBRO, improvements and upgrading in the levels of skills of Filipino ring officials particularly judges and referees are being pursued as a way to stimulate and promote the quality of Filipino boxing and boxers.
"In effect, we are making the statement that as professionals, every other segment in local boxing from promoters, managers and trainers and most especially the boxers should also endeavor to improve themselves," Ortega elaborated adding, "Nothing is constant but change."
"What we are basically saying is that Filipino boxers have to improve themselves because they cannot expect any break from Filipino ring officials. Talo kung talagang talo, even against foreign fighters. We never believe in hometown advantages, much less to hometown decision," Ortega said.
However, the APPBRO official sadly noted the continuing deficiencies in many aspects of developing Filipino boxers and Philippine boxing in general.
In general, Ortega bewails the failure of Philippine boxing to adopt and follow through with Manny Pacquiao's winning formula combining power, speed and continuous skills improvement that enabled him to become the world's only eight division champion.
Specifically, Ortega observed that training and conditioning of Filipino boxers have lagged behind in comparison with those of Japan and the West. He advocated for skills and technical knowhow upgrade on the part of Filipino trainers and coaches to enable us to achieve a more scientific approach in the development of our boxers.
"Marami tayong magagaling na boxers from all over the country but they could not reach their full potentials because of our deficiencies in the areas of training and conditioning which determine 50 percent of boxing, the other 50 percent being the fighters' discipline and attitude," Ortega stressed.
Ortega suggested for Filipino trainers and coaches to regularly undergo trainor's training to improve further on their knowledge and knowhow which they could in turn pass on to their wards.
The APPBRO which has "Fairness, Integrity and Competence" as guiding principles, count on noted world class ring officials as Atty Danrex Tapdasan, Silvestre Abainza and Benjie Estrella as members, among many others.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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