R.P. Boxing Team expecting good Asiad performance
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 24 Oct 2010
The Philippine amateur boxing team's triumphant march in the recent Tammer Cup championships held in Finland simply indicates that the Road to the Asian Games program embarked by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines is on track.
The four-man contingent scored a perfect four-medal haul with light flyweight Vic Saludar, brother Rey, a flyweight, stashing away with a gold medal each and featherweight Charly Suarez and light welterweight Delfin Boholtz bringing home a silver each.
"Yes, it looks like we're on the right track as far as our talent identification and international exposure programs are concerned," ABAP executive director Ed Picson assessed in Friday?s SCOOP Sa Kamayan session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.
"And for that, we deeply thank our President, Mr. Ricky Vargas and chair, Mr. Manny V. Pangilinan for their all-support to the programs, which actually is directed to our country's quest for its first Olympic gold medal," Picson said during the forum, sponsored by TV5, Mang Inasal, FILA and Smart Sports.
"What is more significant in our boxers' performance is that they showed their readiness to do battle in the coming Asian Games. Although we don't have the habit of predicting how we will perform in a given competition, these boys just signified they wills do their best, short of killing themselves in their efforts to bring honor to the country," he assured.
All four boxers, including their coaches, Barcelona Olympic bronze medalist Roel Velasco and Ronald Chavez, expressed hopes of surpassing the pair of gold medals the 2006 Doha,Qatar team fashioned out.
"Mahirapa mangako, pero pag may suerte, puedeng mahigitan ang 2004 two gold medals," Chavez, echoing the team's sentiment, said.
And, perhaps, to maintain the momentum of the boys' superb performance, Vargas presented the winners their incentives -- P30,000 each for the Saludar brothers and P30,000 each for Suarez and Boholtz during simple ceremony at his Maynilad office last night.
Besides the medals they brought home, Vic, younger of the two Saludars, bagged the "best fighter' of the tournament honor.
The two gold medals and two silver medals they won also gave the country, according to Picson, the unofficial overall championship.
"France (2-gold, 1-silver), and host Finland (1-gold) ended up second and third overall, respectively.
The Philippines also emerged with the most finalists in the field, beating all other 21 nations entered in the annual series.
The Saludars, Suarez and Boholtz will drive to Baguio City today to resume training along with other Asiad team member Wilfredo Lopez and lone woman entry Annie Albania.
Lopez was supposed to join the Finland trip but was in the process of recovering from his hand injury when the team left two weeks ago.
Picson attested though that Lopez has fully healed and, like his teammates, is ready for the Games set November 12-27 in Guangzhou, China.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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