Minor hiccups not slowing down PH boxing team as SEA Games nears

MANILA, Philippines—Minor problems aside, the Philippine national boxing team beamed confidence heading into the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Coach Ronald Chavez said James Palicte and Eumir Marcial are experiencing some nagging body pain while Carlo Paalam has yet to make weight for the light flyweight division.

Paalam fought in the Aiba World Boxing Championships in September as a flyweight (52 kg) but he needs to go down to light flyweight (49 kg) for the SEA Games.

Nevertheless, Chavez expressed positivity around a month before the regional games, which kick off on Nov. 30.

“Eumir and Palicte just need to rest a little bit because their muscles are a little too tight from getting worked out too much,” said Chavez in Filipino Friday in a phone interview with Inquirer.

“We have a small problem with Carlo because he still has to make weight for the 49- kg division,” added Chavez, whose boxers weigh themselves every day before their morning runs.

Of the eight male boxers in his team, two have the most pressure on them with Marcial and light heavyweight John Marvin both ruling their divisions in 2017.

Marcial claimed his second SEA Games gold medal when he triumphed in the middleweight division while Marvin became the champion in the light heavyweight division.

Chavez, however, said that his two biggest fighters are welcoming whatever challenge they’re about to face.

“Eumir is always at a hundred percent although I always tell him not to be complacent because his opponents are also preparing hard,” said Chavez of Marcial who bagged the silver in the recent world Championships.

“Marvin, meanwhile, is always putting in work in training and he even sometimes works by himself if he feels he hasn’t done enough for the day.”