ED PICSON VISITS MAASIN CITY FOR 2013 ABAP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HOSTING
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 21 Sep 2012
MAASIN CITY, SOUTHERN LEYTE - Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) Executive Director Ed Picson visited Maasin City to personally inspect the possible venues for the 2013 ABAP national amateur boxing championship. He had long wanted to visit this capital city because the last he was here was yet in 1972, when it was still a sleepy town.
Picson arrived at 4:00P.M. last Wednesday from Tacloban City airport. He passed by his ancestral home in Hindang, Leyte. The amiable ABAP director proceeded directly to the City Mayor?s Office where this writer was waiting. When he appeared at the City Hall we had an ongoing meeting with key city heads of office and we suspended immediately the meeting to accommodate the high ABAP official.
He told us of their 2013 London Olympics participation. We discussed on how Mark Anthony Barriga lost and other controversies surrounding Olympic boxing. He also recalled how Charly Suarez almost made it to the Olympics in London. Picson remembered that Suarez got the nod of AIBA president Wu Ching-kou but negotiations faltered in the last minute.
Picson inspected the City Gymnasium, the venue of the boxing bouts. But he also suggested the City Plaza as a favorable venue. This could be possible if the weather would cooperate. He also inspected the nearby hotels and pension houses where boxers, coaches and officials would be housed. These are just walking distances from the city hall where the city gym is situated.
We had a dinner at the popular Kinamot sa Abgao restaurant and he decided to stay overnight in Maasin City instead of going back to Tacloban City immediately. He was not in favor personally of amending the AIBA rules in removing the headgears of the boxers just to let the spectators enjoy the bouts just like in professional boxing. This would be dangerous for amateur boxers who would fight daily and prone to head butts and cuts, according to him. Unlike the pros when they have months of rest after a fight.
We explained to Picson that Maasin is accessible by land transportation from Mindanao through Surigao City and a ferry to Benit Port, San Ricardo, Southern Leyte which will take only an hour of sea voyage. From Luzon, the access by land is Matnog, Sorsogon then ferry for more than an hour to Allen, Northern Samar. Plane transportation will be via Tacloban City. Boats could be reached directly from Cebu City to Maasin port or via Hilongos, Leyte or Ormoc City.
We asked assistance from ABAP to provide us a national coach to help train our boxers. Amateur boxing in Maasin is on a modest rise. But we would want our fighters to be at par with national competitors come ABAP national tournament. Ed said he will be sending Violito Payla, a 2006 Doha Asian Games gold medalist. We wanted a Cebuano-speaking trainer so that he could communicate well with the boxers.
The ABAP executive said there were no other serious bidders for the hosting of the 2013 national boxing tournament. But this will be officially decided during the ABAP national congress this coming October.
The City of Maasin will earmark a million pesos from its annual budget to shoulder the hotel and meal expenses of the participants. This is part of the sports development and tourism promotion programs of the city government as embodied in its Vision.
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