High hopes for PH youth ring bets

FORMER world junior champion Eumir Felix Marcial headlines the formidable PLDT Abap national youth team seeing action in the 2013 ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championship starting tomorrow at the Subic gym in Zambales.

Marcial, who won a gold medal in the World Junior Championships in Azerbaijan two years ago, will compete in the 64-kilogram division in the event that has lured entries from 26 countries.

The Amateur Boxing Association of the  Philippines is also fielding James Palicte (60 kg), Jade Bornea (49 kg), Ian Clark Bautista (52 kg) and Jonas Bacho (56 kg)  in the event for 17-18 year-old boxers.

The Filipino fighters go into the slugfest with solid credentials.

Bornea was a bronze medalist in last December’s World Youth Boxing Championship in Armenia and Bautista won a silver medal in the President’s Cup in Jakarta in 2011.

Bacho saw action in the Kuala Lumpur City Day Tournament early this year where the PH boxing team won five gold medals. Palicte was a standout in the PLDT Abap Visayas competition last year.

But they will have their hands full in the competition with entries from China, the Middle East and countries from the former Soviet Union also vying as part of their preparations for the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Abap president Ricky Vargas is confident that the Filipinos will make their mark in the tournament.

“They’re all products of our extensive grassroots development program,” said Vargas. “Most of them also have had foreign exposure and so I’m fairly optimistic they will do well.”