NORTH COTABATO HOSTS WEEK-LONG BOXFEST
By Salven L. Lagumbay
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 20 Aug 2005
It will be a week-long boxing festival starting Aug. 27 when North Cotabato hosts the 1st Mindanao Invitational Amateur Boxing Tournament and a big professional boxing card on Aug. 31 to mark the 91st foundation anniversary of the booming province in the Southern Philippines.
North Cotabato Governor Manny Pinol, who is credited with transforming
this former poor and strife-torn area into one of the most progressive
and peaceful provinces after just seven years as governor, said the
boxing festival is one of the events lined up to celebrate an era of peace
and prosperity.
Amateur boxing clubs from all over the Island of Mindanao including
some provinces from the Visayas will be fielding boxers in what is
expected to be a very stiff competition for the tournament's medals and the
honor of being chosen as the first group of amateur boxers who will be
trained by Cuban boxing coach Honorato Espinosa.
Espinosa, 67, who holds the distinction of training the boxer who gave
Cuba its first Olumpic gold in Munich in 1972, is expected to scout for
young talents who will train under the Governors' National Amateur
Boxing Circuit in preparation for the big international events, including
the Beijing Olympics of 2008.
The powerhouse teams include Davao del Norte and Panabo City, sponsored
by Congressman Tony Boy Floreindo, the Davao City team of Mayor
Rodrigo Duterte, the Sarangani Province team of Governor Miguel Dominguez and
Mayor Joel Lopez, the Digos City team of Mayor Boy Latasa, the Bohol
Province team of Governor Erico Aumentado and the host province of North
Cotabato which will be fielding three teams.
"Certainly, many talents will be discovered in this tournament and we
hope to organize the Governors' national amateur boxing team
afterwards," said Governor Pinol.
To cap the week-long sports activity, a professional boxing card will
be staged right after the awarding ceremonies for amateur boxers on Aug.
31.
Young professional boxers from North Cotabato who are products of
Governor Pinol's amateur boxing program will be seeing action in the boxing
card which will be open to the public.
Bantamweight sensation Glenn Porras, 19 (5wins 1 loss 2 kos)will be
going up against the veteran Mark Sales of Manila, the country's No. 7 jr.
bantamweight contender and former World Boxing Federation Asia-Pacific
115-lb. titlist.
Junior flyweight Dennis Juntilla, 21 (5 wins, 1 loss 2 kos) will fight
Pingping Tepura of Cebu City while 19-year-old Tommy Terado (5 wins,
no loss, 2 kos) will go up against Philippine-ranked Ricardo Albia in
the miniflyweight division.
TWo other North Cotabato boxers seeing action are undefeated Ervin
Dapudong, 19 (5 wins, no loss, 2 kos) and Rex Penalosa, 20 (4 wins 1 loss,
1 ko).
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez, Immigration
Commissioner Al Fernandez, Amateur Boxing Federation President Manny Lopez and
many other top government officials are expected to attend the sports
event.
END
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