PH boxing team hires Donaire Sr. as ‘foreign coach’

FILE—Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. and his father/trainer Nonito Sr., answer questions from the media regarding their preparation for the former’s April 23 fight at the Cebu City Sports Center against Hingarian Zolt Bedak. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

VETERAN trainer Nonito Donaire Sr. has been tapped to serve as the national boxing team’s “foreign coach” for the Rio Olympics.

The man who shaped the career of his four-division world champion-son Nonito Jr. is now training the squad at the Philippine Sports Commission facility in Baguio City.

The elder Donaire, who now lives in the United States, is paid a monthly salary of $5,000 by the PSC, according to a reliable source at the agency.

Donaire has been tasked to handle the Philippine team, including early Olympic qualifiers Charly Suarez and Rogen Ladon, to the Summer Games in August.

The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines is seeking to qualify more fighters for the Olympics, with Nesthy Petecio seeing action in the ongoing women’s qualifying event in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The Philippines is also fielding boxers in the last Olympic qualifier in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Officials have earlier scheduled a tri-city training tour for the boxers in the US in June.